Contingency Management to Initiate Exercise

Research shows that regular exercise is associated with several physiological benefits along with multiple psychological benefits. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise should be performed on most days of the week to reduce the risk of chronic disease; however, the majority of the population finds sedentary activities to be more reinforcing than physical activity. It is estimated that as many as 250,000 deaths per year in the United States are related to a lack of regular physical activity. To date, several studies have examined ways to increase physical activity but researchers have not found ways to sustain increased exercise behavior over long periods of time. With growing concern over daily physical activity and the factors that influence exercise behavior, behavioral interventions deserve further consideration as means for improving commitment to exercise programs. The purpose of the current study was to determine if the behavioral intervention of contingency management could be successful in increasing exercise behavior among young adult women.