Using the Constructs of the Transtheoretical Model of Change in Enhancing Regular Physical Exercise for Female High School Students

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted by applying the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) to (1) identify students ’current exercise stage of change, (2) determine the effect of the TTM-based physical exercise intervention on students ’readiness to engage in regular physical exercise, (3) determine the association between students ’age, body mass index (BMI), and their readiness to engage in regular physical exercise, and (4) investigate the differences in students ’readiness to engage in regular physical exercise between the groups of social norms, school physical exercise class, grade, socioeconomic class of students ’families, and BMI. The study included a random sample of (144) female students; (72 students for the study group and 72 students for the control group), aged 15 to 20-years who were selected from the high school of "Asma'a Bint Abi-Bakr" in Kirkuk City; northern to Iraq. The study results revealed that the mean age for participants in the study group was 16.9 ± 1.4; one-third age 16-years-old (n = 24; 33.3%). The researchers recommend to encourage graduate students to adopt theory-based studies in their future proposed research, and the necessity of community health nurses in Iraq to conduct similar studies on various settings.