Abstract
To mitigate their estimated $300 billion in annual health-related losses, many companies have instituted workplace wellness initiatives designed to promote physical activity among their employees, improving the overall health of their workforce. Though middle-aged and older workers may potentially enjoy the greatest physical, stress and cognitive benefits from regular exercise, workplace wellness programs have been less successful in attracting such employees. This study developed and tested a 6-week exercise motivation intervention designed to meet the needs of sedentary, older working adults and to determine what non-physical benefits might result from increased levels of physical exercise. The intervention, based primarily on Self-Determination Theory, included feedback on individually-made, realistic, process-specific exercise goals that and provided guidance from knowledgeable exercise professionals in addition to support group of socially-similar individuals to aid in coping and adherence. The intervention was built and delivered entirely online to fit better with the sample's considerable time demands. The motivational intervention was delivered to a sample of 30 mostly-older working adults and was successful in significantly improving activity levels and overall affect while decreasing stress. No significant differences were detected in measures of personal resources, work engagement, work effort and task performance. The implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2017
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Fritzsche, Barbara
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Psychology
Degree Program
Psychology; Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0006660
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006660
Language
English
Release Date
May 2020
Length of Campus-only Access
3 years
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
STARS Citation
Sholar, Brandon, "Getting The Work Out of Workouts: Evaluating the Effectiveness and Outcomes of a Physical Exercise Motivational Intervention For Older Workers" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5490.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5490