MINORITY PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

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DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): The candidate's future research endeavors will be focused in the area of determinants of physical activity in older Latino adults. Latinos will become the largest minority group in the United States by the early 21st century (Council on Scientific Affairs, AMA, 1991). Unfortunately, 36 percent of Latino adults report no participation in leisure time physical activity (National Center for Health Statistics, 1999) and 51 percent of those aged 65-74 report no leisure time physical activity. In addition, attrition from physical activity programs approximates 50 percent within the first 6 months. The proposed research program is designed to combine two theoretical approaches, social cognitive theory and self-presentation theory, in an effort to understand the determinants of physical activity among Latino adults. The candidate proposes to begin this work by examining the relationships among social physique anxiety, self-efficacy, and the exercise behavior of older adults in an existing data set. Findings from this study will be used to assist in designing a study examining the role of these constructs in the exercise behavior of older Latinos and to identify strategies for changing the exercise environment to maximize participation in this population.