2012 Volume 33 Issue 4 Pages 575-584
The purpose of this study was to classify the patterns of sources of exercise self-efficacy among middle-aged and older people using cluster analysis. A total of 858 subjects (men : 449, women : 409) aged 60 years and above responded to a set of measurements, including descriptive variables, exercise self-efficacy and its sources, and the stages of change for exercise. Results of this study revealed that the patterns of sources of self-efficacy can be classified into five clusters : 1) “Having access to all sources”, 2) “Lacking all sources”, 3) “Having access to self-related sources”, 4) “Having access to vicarious experiences”, and 5) “Having access to verbal persuasion”. Subjects classified as “Having access to all sources’ had higher exercise self-efficacy and had high percentages of people in maintenance stage. On the other hand, subjects classified as “Lacking all sources” showed a contrasting tendency. Future investigations should consider the comprehensive examinations including various variables related to self-efficacy.
