The Effects of Marital Transitions on Changes in Physical Activity: Results from a 10-Year Community Study
THE EFFECTS OF MARITAL TRANSITIONS ON CHANGES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: RESULTS FROM A 10-YEAR COMMUNITY STUDY 1,2
Abby C. King, Ph.D., Michaela Kiernan, Ph.D., David K. Ahn, Ph.D., and Sara Wilcox, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
ABSTRACT
The potential effects of making a marital transition on subsequent physical activity were evaluated across a ten-year period in a population-based sample of 302 women and 256 men ages 25 to 75 years. Subjects completed a structured interview at five timepoints throughout the ten-year period during which they reported on their physical activity level as well as marital status. The transition from a married to a single state did not affect physical activity relative to remaining married when analyses of either slopes or mean values were used, In contrast, the transition from a single to a married state resulted in significant positive changes in physical activity relative to remaining single throughout the study period when physical activity slopes, though not means, were compared. The results suggest that marriage may potentially set the stage for natural changes in physical activity that could be capitalized on through appropriate intervention, but additional research is needed to verify this in light of the inconsi~ent pattern of findings.
(Ann Behav Med 1998, 20(2):64-69) INTRODUCTION
The health effects of regular physical activity are now well-established for a variety of chronic diseases and conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, some forms of cancer, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and obesity (1). Despite these known benefits, the majority of the U.S. population remains underactive (2). Identifying strategies for facilitating sustained exercise participation at a level sufficient to provide such health benefits across a person 's lifetime constitutes a major public health challenge (2,3). Increasingly, health behavior change has been conceptualized as a series of
Abby C. King, Ph.D., Michaela Kiernan, Ph.D., David K. Ahn, Ph.D., and Sara Wilcox, Ph.D.
Stanford University School of Medicine
ABSTRACT
The potential effects of making a marital transition on subsequent physical activity were evaluated across a ten-year period in a population-based sample of 302 women and 256 men ages 25 to 75 years. Subjects completed a structured interview at five timepoints throughout the ten-year period during which they reported on their physical activity level as well as marital status. The transition from a married to a single state did not affect physical activity relative to remaining married when analyses of either slopes or mean values were used, In contrast, the transition from a single to a married state resulted in significant positive changes in physical activity relative to remaining single throughout the study period when physical activity slopes, though not means, were compared. The results suggest that marriage may potentially set the stage for natural changes in physical activity that could be capitalized on through appropriate intervention, but additional research is needed to verify this in light of the inconsi~ent pattern of findings.
(Ann Behav Med 1998, 20(2):64-69) INTRODUCTION
The health effects of regular physical activity are now well-established for a variety of chronic diseases and conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, some forms of cancer, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and obesity (1). Despite these known benefits, the majority of the U.S. population remains underactive (2). Identifying strategies for facilitating sustained exercise participation at a level sufficient to provide such health benefits across a person 's lifetime constitutes a major public health challenge (2,3). Increasingly, health behavior change has been conceptualized as a series of
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