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Physical Exercise as a Behavior Modification
This study will be to increase the behavioral deficit of exercise in the participant through methods of behavioral modification. For the purpose of this study, exercise will be defined as purposeful, physical movement that increases heart rate to 50-70% of the personal maximum heart rate which is considered moderate-intensity physical activity. Exercise may include using gym equipment, such as a treadmill, an elliptical, or a bicycle or extraneous physical movement without gym equipment, such as crunches, jumping jacks, and push-ups, in sets of 10 repetitions will also be included as exercise.
The participant proposed for this study will be a female college student that lives on her college campus. It will be necessary that the participant will have daily access to a gym. The participant will have a behavioral deficit of exercise, which will be shown in the baseline phase of the experiment. The purpose of this study will be to dramatically increase the behavioral deficit of exercise when a treatment has been implemented.
The participant will be chosen with these demographics because physical declines are most prominent during the transition from high school to college (Randall et al., 2007). College students typically increase in weight their freshman semesters because these young adults are presented with the stress of academics, creating new schedules, and choosing meal plans and eating habits for themselves (Harring et al., 2010). Habits that are formed in college are often continued throughout adult life; therefore, implementing healthy habits while in college will be beneficial for the future well being of the student.
Research on the Target Behavior
Numerous studies have been conducted on physical exercise. Researchers have experimented to determine what causes behavioral deficits of exercise and what treatment may be used to modify these deficits. The review of several studies provides a foundation on which to understand this connection.
Randall et al. (2007) conducted research on women attending their freshmen year of college to assess where the deficit of exercise may begin. They used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to acquire information about the participants at the beginning of the study and once more at the end of the study. The IPAQ was a self-report instrument that allowed the participants to record the frequency and duration of activity ranging from low to vigorous. Once the IPAQ had been repeated at the end of the study, Randall et al. concluded that participants remained significantly stable in regards to vigorous and moderate physical activity, yet decreased in their low activity, such as walking, throughout the year. In addition to the decrease in walking, participants individually gained, on average, approximately three pounds. The decrease in the exercise of walking was apparent, yet Randall et al. were unable to identify the cause or any correlation with extraneous variables.
Liang et al. (2007) also conducted research on physical activity and college women, but focused on the level of enjoyment that could be received from physical activity through self-efficacy. The population of women was chosen due to their increased susceptibility to have their self-efficacy manipulated. Self-efficacy was assessed through a self-report scale that was calculated along with an exercise test that participants completed. All participants received false feedback, either positive or negative, about their individual performance. After receiving the manipulated feedback, participants were invited to engage in exercise and complete another self-report about the enjoyment of the exercise (Liang et al.).
Liang et al. (2007) concluded that participants who received high self-efficacy scores were more likely to express enjoyment during physical activity. This research allowed for researchers to better understand the nature of physical activity. If participants feel self-confident when engaging in physical activity and are able to enjoy it, they may want to engage in physical activity more frequently. The findings of both Randall et al. (2007) that women in college may decrease in some low levels of physical activity and Liang et al. regarding the need for self-efficacy are foundational for further research in the study of this target behavior of physical activity deficits in college-aged women.
In 2010, Harring et al. studied college students’ self-perceptions of their individual weight and weight management. Harring et al. acquired participants’ body mass index, BMI (a common scale that can help determine whether a person is overweight, underweight, or average), and self-reports of body perception, weight loss goals, weight management, effects of health on academics and stress, and feelings of depression, along with various other demographics.
Harring et al., (2010) also found that females with accurate body perceptions were more likely to be able to lose weight by exercising than by doing anything else. This conclusion of an accurate body perception leading to healthy weight loss can enable researchers and colleges to implement proactive health programs for women. Harring et al. concluded that these programs can teach women how to accurately view their bodies and can help them gain a sense of themselves through meditation and exercises such as yoga.
In more recent research, Klompstra et al (2022) researched how enjoyment mediates motivation to exercise and exercise behaviors. They found that individuals can be highly motivated to become healthy, but if they do not enjoy physical activity, then they will be less likely to exercise. When considering this research and Harring et al (2010), it is understood that se3veral factors contribute to successful exercise and subsequent weight loss.
Research on Treatment Method
The treatment that will be implemented for this study will consist of a token economy. Miltenberger (2008) described a token economy as a program that is implemented to increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors. Desirable behaviors may be increased by receiving tokens every time they occur, and undesirable behaviors may be decreased by losing tokens every time they occur. Tokens are points that will be recorded by the participant on a record sheet or chart. Accumulation of tokens may be exchanged for backup reinforcers. Miltenberger stated that backup reinforcers are conditioned reinforcers that strengthen desirable behaviors.
For the purpose of this study the participant, along with a friend, will keep track of all tokens earned and lost. Backup reinforcers for the participant will include social behaviors, such as time allotted to accessing social networking websites, and time to watch television shows with friends. By only allowing television and social internet time as backup reinforcers, the participant should develop skills that will be more proactive with her free time.
The aspect of a friend being involved and helping to record the participant’s tokens can be found in Gruber’s (2008) study. Gruber found that when college students have close peers that engage in healthy dieting and exercise, the college student himself or herself if more likely to engage in those behaviors. A friend’s encouragement to be proactive was found to be the best reinforcer. Another very important aspect of proactive, healthy habits was the criticism of those same peers when they found a friend eating fatty foods. Peer accountability seemed to be the greatest reinforcer for positive behaviors in this study.
The University of Dayton also implemented this peer and social support for its Fitness, Friendship, and Fun program (Stanley et al., 2006). In UD’s program, they assigned a college student to an elementary student to create teams. These teams worked out for about 30 minutes once a week with an end goal to compete in a one mile run/walk event. Each week the team met up and set personal goals. This allowed for both the college student and the elementary student to build their friendship and gain support for a common goal. The outcomes of the Fitness, Friendship, and Fun Program were higher self-esteem, more motivation and excitement to exercise, and comprised bigger goals for the elementary student, as well as the college student (Stanley et al.). The Fitness, Friendship, and Fun program supports the theory that when friends and peers are involved with the modifications of physical exercise, it is more enjoyable for both and the outcomes tend to be greater.
Conclusion
The modification of the behavioral deficit of exercise has been chosen for the participant because she could greatly benefit physically and mentally from exercise. The participant is exposed to high stress academic situations that may promote unhealthy stress eating and lack of time to exercise. If these unhealthy habits were to continue, they may result in further stress and problems regarding her body image. Increasing exercise will be great for the participant because it will allow her to gain healthy habits that may promote nutritious eating, increased energy, and a higher self-esteem through gaining a better self-image. Proactive choices that may result from the experiment may lead to life-time satisfaction in engaging in healthier behaviors.
The proposed method of treatment will be a token economy. The token economy will be used to promote desirable behaviors of exercising and physical movement and to decrease undesirable behaviors such as immobility and laziness. The token system will allow the participant to exchange earned tokens for backup reinforcers. For the participant, backup reinforcers will include time allotted to watch a favorite television show or earn minutes on frequently used social networks and websites.
The token economy will be implemented because it will strengthen positive behaviors through token reinforcements and weaken negative behaviors through token reduction. The participant will also be able to self-monitor, and record and behaviors on a chart that can be reviewed by friends and peers for accountability. When daily exercise is increased, the participant is expected to promote other healthy habits. These healthy habits should increase her self-esteem, boost energy levels, and allow for weight loss and weight control. Once behavior modification has been implemented, results are expected to create a healthy weight and her exercise habits should maintain that weight.
References
Gruber, K. J. (2008). Social support for exercise and dietary habits among college students. Adolescence (San Diego): An International Quarterly Devoted to the Physiological, Psychological, Psychiatric, Sociological, and Educational Aspects of the Second Decade of Human Life, 43(171), 557 – 574.
Harring, H., Montgomery, K., & Hardin, J. (2010). Perceptions on body weight, weight management strategies, & depressive symptoms among US college students. Journal of American College Health, 59(1), 43-50.
Klompstra, L., Deka, P., Almenar, L., Pathak, D., Muñoz-Gómez, E., López-Vilella, R., & Marques-Sule, E. (2022). Physical activity enjoyment, exercise motivation, and physical activity in patients with heart failure: A mediation analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 36(10), 1324-1331.
Liang, H., Motl, R. W., McAuley, E., & Konopack, J. F. (2007). Effects of self-efficacy on physical activity enjoyment in college-aged women. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 14(2), 92-96.
Miltenberger, R. G. (2008). Behavior modification, principles and procedures (5th ed.). Wadsworth.
Randall, N. B., Han, J. L., Dinger, M. K., Heesch, K. C., Fields, D. A., & Knehans, A. W. (2007). Changes in women’s physical activity over their freshman year of college. American Journal of Health Studies, 22(1), 42-45.
Stanley, W., De Marco, G., Laubach, L. L., & Daprano, C. M. (2006). Fitness, friendship, and fun: University sponsored community PE program. Teaching Elementary Physical Education, 17(5), 24-27.
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