APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW, 2008, 57 (4), 544–560 doi: 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00343.x © 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2008 International Association of Applied Psychology. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. Blackwell Publishing Ltd Oxford, UK APPS Applied Psychology 0269-994X 1464-0597 © International Association for Applied Psychology, 2008 XXX Original Articles PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MAINTENANCE THEORY NIGG ET AL. A Theory of Physical Activity Maintenance Claudio R. Nigg* Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA Belinda Borrelli Brown Medical School, Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Providence, USA Jay Maddock Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA Rod K. Dishman The University of Georgia, USA Regular physical activity is related to numerous psychological and physical benefits. Physical activity interventions have had varying degrees of success with adoption; however, maintenance over the long term is even more difficult to achieve, as the majority of individuals who start a physical activity program drop out or relapse. Although the physical activity maintenance literature is scant, there is evidence that the predictors of adoption are different from those of maintenance. Thus, it follows that physical activity adoption and mainte- nance require unique approaches. The explanatory power of such predictors, however, is limited by the absence of a cogent theoretical framework. There- fore, this paper presents the Physical Activity Maintenance (PAM) theory, which incorporates individual psychosocial variables (goal-setting, motiva- tion, and self-efficacy), and contextual variables of the environment and life stress (triggers of relapse). Goal-setting is framed as satisfaction, attainment, and commitment; motivation as self-motivation and expectations; and self- efficacy as both barrier and relapse. The contextual variables may facilitate or impede physical activity maintenance directly and indirectly via the individual psychosocial variables. The PAM is presented to stimulate research on phys- ical activity maintenance and advance our understanding of how and why people do and do not maintain physical activity long term. * Address for correspondence: Claudio R. Nigg, Department of Public Health Sciences, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1960 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. Email: cnigg@hawaii.edu