Exercise Among Blue-Collar Workers: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior By: Carolyn L. Blue , JoEllen Wilbur, Mary'Vesta Marston-Scott Blue, C.L., Wilbur, J., & Marston-Scott, M.V. (2001). Exercise among blue-collar workers: Application of the theory of planned behavior. Research in Nursing & Health, 24, 481-493. Made available courtesy of Wiley-Blackwell: The definitive version is available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com ***Reprinted with permission. No further reproduction is authorized without written permission from Wiley-Blackwell. This version of the document is not the version of record. Figures and/or pictures may be missing from this format of the document.*** Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify cognitive predictors of blue-collar workers' (N=468) intention to exercise and their self-reported exercise behavior. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) provided the framework for the study. A cross-sectional sample of skilled and unskilled workers from the physical facilities department of a large, Midwestern state university completed a questionnaire containing measures of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, and self-reported leisure exercise behavior. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that workers' attitude toward exercise and perceived behavioral control explained 61.7% of the variance of intention, whereas intention and perceived behavioral control explained 51.3% of the variance of exercise behavior. Subjective norm was not a significant predictor of intention to exercise. The findings support the use of the TPB in identifying cognitive factors that explain exercise behavior and suggest that interventions to promote exercise behavior in blue-collar workers should address their attitude toward exercise and their perceptions of behavioral control. Keywords: planned behavior; attitude; subjective norm; perceived control; intention; exercise; LISREL Article: The physical and psychological health benefits of regular physical activity are well documented (Bouchard, Shephard, & Stephens, 1994; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1996). Yet despite such benefits, there is evidence to suggest that the number of people who engage in regular, sustained physical activity is relatively small (USDHHS). Greater leisure-time physical activity has been consistently related to adults with higher levels of education and income (Stephens & Caspersen, 1994; USDHHS). Blue-collar workers, particularly those with the lowest pay, have been less likely to participate in both unstructured and structured supervised exercise programs than have white-collar workers (Dishman, 1990; Gebhardt & Crump, 1990; Gottleib, Weinstein, Baun, & Bernacki, 1992; Stonecipher & Hyner, 1993; Tampson, 1988; Heaney & Inglish, 1995). Understanding the psychological predictors of exercise in a blue-collar worker population is an important first step in designing a population-specific intervention to facilitate increased physical activity. One reason for blue- collar workers' low participation in work-site programs may be that available programs have not been designed specifically for target groups of workers (Campbell et al., 2000; Dishman, Oldenburg, O'Neal, & Shephard, 1998; King, Carl, Birkel, & Haskell, 1988; Niknian, Linnan, Lasater, & Carleton, 1991; Ritchie, Herscovitch, & Norfor, 1994). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify cognitive predictors of blue-collar workers' intention to exercise and their self-reported exercise behavior. Data indicate that health-related behaviors of blue-collar workers are influenced by feelings of personal well- being rather than by health outcomes (Ritchie et al., 1994). In one study it was found that blue-collar workers did not know whether cardiovascular disease could be pre-vented (Niknian et al., 1991). Weitzel (1989) found that perception of poor health was a powerful predictor of lack of exercise for blue-collar workers. Female workers believed it was difficult to enjoy aerobic exercise unless their bodies were already in shape (Ritchie et