Research Information System
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & HEALTH, no.3, pp.373-386, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
Background : This study aims to investigate salient beliefs toward physical activity by gathering qualitative data through open-ended questions among high school-aged female adolescents in Turkey. Methods : A sample of 259 Turkish high school students, aged between 14 and 17, were randomly selected to participate in this study. Open-ended questions address 3 main components of the Theory of Planned Behavior, attitudes, perceived control, and social norms. Content analysis is employed to categorize the data according to themes, during the elicitation process. Results : The results were categorized as variables of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Positive attitude contributors included health expectations, emotions, fi tness expectations, learning, and socialization, while negative attitude contributors encompassed adverse health outcomes and emotions. Second, perceived competence and ef fi cacy emerged as positive contributors to perceived behavior control, whereas factors, such as time constraints, health-related barriers, fi tness barriers, environmental and economic barriers, and perceived negative competence and ef fi cacy were identi fi ed as negative in fl uencers of perceived behavior control. Last, it was found that families, friends, and teachers played signi fi cant roles in shaping social norms. Conclusions : Offering attractive choices for physical activities while explaining the positive impact on both physical, and mental health, as well as physical fi tness is important for positive attitudes. Providing positive experiences and emphasizing the aspects of physical activity that support academic productivity are important factors in supporting perceived behavioral control. Finally, advocating for environments that promote physical activity behaviors among peers and ensure comprehensive support from families and educators is valuable in terms of subjective norms to increase physical activity intentions.