Background: Physical activity is a principal intervention in primary and secondary prevention of chronic
illness. While the benefits of community based rehabilitation is acknowledged,the rate of attendance and adherence remains sub optimal. Self-efficacy is acknowledged to be a key factor relating to adherence in rehabilitation but the construct of proxy efficacy, defined as one’s confidence in the skills and abilities of a third party to function effectively on another’s behalf, is less often studied. This paper examines the relationship between gender and ‘self’ and ‘proxy-efficacy’ and their potential role in attendance to a community based chronic illness rehabiliation (CBCIR) programme.
Methods: Participants attending induction at the programme completed a questionnaire assessing demographics and both self (9 items) and proxy efficacy for exercise (9 items) which was assessed on a Likert scale from 0 (not confident at all) to 10 (very confident), with a higher score indicating greater efficacy. Subsequently, attendance was objectively monitored by researchers at exercise sessions for 24 weeks.
Results: 69 participants (M age=65.5 +9.8 years, 56% Male) completed all measures. Mean proxy-efficacy and mean self-efficacy is significantly greater in women compared to men (p<0.05).
Mean proxy-efficacy was found to be higher than mean self-efficacy in both males (proxy-efficacy=8.7+1.2, self efficacy=8.3+1.8) and females (proxyefficacy= 7.7+2.2, self-efficacy=6.5+2.0) with no correlation between the variables. Correlational analyses found a moderate significant positive correlation between proxy efficacy and number of weeks attended in the 24 weeks (r=.440,p<.05) in women with no correlation observed between self-efficacy and weeks attended. No correlations are observed between either form of efficacy and attendance in men.
Discussion: Participants report greater confidence in the proxy agent than themselves as the agent. This was furthered in women with an association identified between proxy efficacy and 24-week attendance. These results suggest the importance of the proxy for women in a CBCIR setting but further longitudinal research should be carried out in the area of proxy efficacy and attendance at community based chronic illness rehabilitation programmes.
Implications: An understanding of these variables help CBCIR programme facilitators intervene to ensure greater attendance
