An empirical ranking of the importance of the sources of self-efficacy for physical activity.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional online survey analyzed via dominance analysis (graded by non-clinical design analogy)
PubMed 41064471 · doi:10.1080/21642850.2025.2567322
What was done
An online cross-sectional study evaluated 335 healthy German adults (162 men, 173 women; aged 18–68 years) to determine the relative importance of Bandura's sources of self-efficacy for physical activity. The researchers used dominance analysis to rank predictors according to their contribution to explained variance.
What was found
Mastery experience (personal experience) was identified as the most important source of self-efficacy for physical activity, followed by verbal self-persuasion and positive affective state. Together, the sources accounted for about 60% of the variance in self-efficacy. Specific numerical values for individual predictor contributions were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Identifying which sources most strongly drive self-efficacy helps intervention designers prioritize specific components—such as direct mastery experiences—to build confidence in physical activity routines.
Limits
The study relied on a cross-sectional online convenience sample of healthy adults from a single country (Germany), precluding causal conclusions. Specific statistical parameters (e.g., individual variance shares, confidence intervals) were not reported in the abstract, and actual physical activity behavior was not prospectively measured.
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