Background/Purpose Although physical activity interventions effectively modify behavior, little research has examined the potential of these interventions for translation to real-world settings. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the external validity of physical activity interventions designed according to the transtheoretical model, theory of planned behavior, and social cognitive theory using the RE-AIM framework (Glaskow et al., 1999).
Method Comprehensive search of the PsychInfo database, EBSCOhost, and reference lists of retrieved articles and review articles identified 73 physical activity intervention studies using the selected behavioral theories. The final review included 54 interventions that met the inclusion criterion and were coded based on whether they reported on the dimensions of the RE-AIM framework.
Analysis/Results A small number of interventions included information about issues of external validity including participation rate as a percentage of those eligible to participate (e.g., reach; 20.4%), the number of eligible sites for the study (e.g., adoption; 3.7%), fidelity to original protocol (e.g., implementation; 29.6%), individual level maintenance (25.9%), and institutional maintenance (5.5%); however, all of the studies reported on change in physical activity with 75.9% reporting an increase in physical activity levels (e.g., efficacy; 100%). Furthermore, most studies included motivated, healthy participants reducing the generalizability of the interventions to real-world settings that provide services to more diverse populations.
Conclusions To determine if a given intervention is feasible and effective in translational research and not only effective under highly controlled conditions, more information must be reported about the factors that affect external validity.