Examining perceived exercise barriers as a mediator of exercise avoidance in high anxiety sensitive women

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related physiological sensations that arises from beliefs that these sensations have harmful physical, psychological, or social consequences. AS is a risk factor for mental and physical problems, including physical inactivity. As a result, individuals with high AS may not receive the benefits associated with physical activity participation, which could put them at higher risk for health-related problems. In the present study, women identified as either high or low in AS will be required to complete multiple self-report questionnaires that assess physical activity levels, anxiety sensitivity, and perceived barriers and benefits to exercise. Because exercise produces many of the same bodily sensations associated with anxiety, individuals with high AS are expected to have lower levels of physical activity participation than low AS individuals. Moreover, it is thought that this expected relation between AS and exercise avoidance will be explained by increased perceived internal barriers to exercise among high AS individuals. The study will help identify factors that hinder exercise involvement in individuals with high AS, allowing interventions to be developed to target these factors.