A Systematic Review of the Relationships Between Attitude, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Exercise Intention

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) identifies Attitude (AT), Subjective Norms (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) as key determinants of Exercise Intention (EI). Although numerous studies have explored these constructs, a limited number of systematic reviews incorporate both the measurement tools and the interrelationships among these variables.

This review evaluates empirical findings published between 2013 and 2023 concerning (1) the measurement instruments used for AT, SN, PBC, and EI and (2) the predictive influence of each factor on EI.

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted using the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases with keywords related to AT, SN, PBC, and EI. The inclusion criteria comprised English-language empirical studies employing TPB constructs and published between 2013 and 2023. The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tool.

A total of t34 articles were selected for this study: 23 focused on measurement instruments, highlighting a range of tools and their psychometric properties, while 11 examined the relationships between TPB constructs and EI. The findings indicated that PBC and AT are strong predictors of EI, whereas SN demonstrated variable significance across studies. The effect size estimates and confidence intervals were extracted when available.

Variations in sample demographics, study designs, and measurement tools may limit the generalizability of findings.

This review provides insights into the operationalization and predictive power of TPB constructs in EI research and recommends the adoption of standardized measurement tools and longitudinal designs to enhance comparability and robustness.