Global self-regulation and outcome expectations: influences on constraint self-regulation and physical activity.

There is a dearth of research conducted on the possible relationship between the global self-regulatory process of selective optimization with compensation (SOC) and leisure-time physical activity. Even less is known about SOC's relationship to other social-cognitive factors known to influence physical activity. Therefore, this study examined the relationships between global self-regulation, constraint self-regulation, outcome expectations, and leisure-time physical activity with a sample of middle-aged and older adults (N = 271). One of the objectives was to test the interactive effect of global self-regulation and outcome expectations on constraint self-regulation. Another objective was to test the interactive effect of global self-regulation and outcome expectations on multiple measures of leisure-time physical activity. The authors found significant interactions between global self-regulation and outcome expectations for constraint self-regulation and duration of leisure-time physical activity. They discuss these results in terms of their implications for health-promotion programs to increase the leisure-time physical activity of people 50 years of age and older.