Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository


Master of Arts




Dr. Alan Salmoni


Inactivity early in life can lead to inactively later in life, which can result in negative outcomes. The primary purpose was to determine if gain- or loss-framed messages about physical activity would change the attitudes, intentions, and behaviours of students in the contemplation or preparation stage of the Transtheoretical model. The secondary purpose was to determine if framing the message in terms of the physical health benefits, appearance/social benefits, or mental health benefits (benefit condition) would change attitude, intention and behaviour. Undergraduate female students (N=60) between the ages of 18 and 36 were recruited from the university. The results found no significant framing effect for intention and behaviour; however, gain-framed messages produced a greater improvement in attitude compared to loss-framed messages. Results showed no significant differences among benefit conditions. In conclusion, gain-framed messages are more effective than loss-frame messages at increasing attitudes towards physical activity for female undergraduate students.