Abstract
Physical activity participation rates among adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) are extremely low. The health action process approach (HAPA) is one framework that can help us understand physical activity participation among adults with SCI, but this framework has seldom been evaluated in this population. The purpose of this study was to test the HAPA model among adults with SCI. Adults with SCI (n = 73; mean age = 53 years; 74% male; 47% completed high school or lower; 56% paraplegia) consented to the study and completed a survey assessing leisure time physical activity and HAPA constructs (i.e., task self-efficacy, outcome expectations, risk perceptions, intentions, barrier self-efficacy, and action planning). A HAPA model was tested via a path analysis with 5000 bootstraps using MPlus. The HAPA model had good model fit (chi-square (10) = 13.09, p = .22; CFI = .98; RMSEA = .07; SRMR = .07). Task self-efficacy (ß = .43) and outcome expectations (ß = .29) significantly predicted intentions, while only intentions was directly related to action planning (ß = .59). Both barrier self-efficacy (ß = .31) and action planning (ß = .32) were significantly linked with moderate to vigorous leisure time physical activity. Intention was indirectly and significantly related with moderate to vigorous leisure time physical activity through action planning (ß= .19). Results from this study provide confirmation that HAPA can be used to understand physical activity participation among adults with SCI. This study helps to extend the generalizability of HAPA to adults with SCI and provides support for the use of these constructs for physical activity intervention development.Acknowledgments: We'd like to thank the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and Réseau Provincial de Recherche en Adaptation-Réadaptation for the financial support of this study.