Efficacy of a motivational interviewing program to improve college students’ physical activity engagement: A randomized controlled trial study

Research in health related social-psychological approaches has demonstrated the effectiveness of motivational interviewing in physical activity enhancement among adult population. Adopting a randomized controlled design, this study aimed to examine the efficacy of motivational interviewing in enhancement of physical activity engagement among college students in Hong Kong.
This study examines the effect a 4-month psychosocial intervention on improvement of physical activity engagement among college students. Seventy-nine college students (males = 50, females = 29, M_age = 19.82, SD = 1.91) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or control group after a baseline assessment. A motivational intervention consisting of one-on-one interviews was employed to affirm goals, strengths and/or behavior while inspiring new ideas, with each session lasting for 60 minutes and being conducted every fortnightly for 4 months. After the post-intervention assessment, there was a 2-month follow-up period, wrapped up with a follow-up assessment.
We employed General Linear Modeling to investigate the effects on students’ (a) TTM constructs, (b) grit, (c) health-related quality of life and (d) direct-observed health fitness aspects. Comparing with the control group, participants in the treatment condition reported positive changes in Stage of Change and Decisional Balance. These findings demonstrate support for motivational strategies designed to aid physical activity enhancement among local college students. All rights reserved.