A pilot study of acceptance and commitment therapy for promotion of physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) appears to have some promise as a method of promoting physical activity. METHOD: This pilot study evaluated the short-term effectiveness of a brief, physical-activity-focused ACT intervention. Young adult, female participants were randomly assigned to an Education (n=19) or ACT (n=35) intervention. Both interventions consisted of 2, 2-hour group sessions. ACT sessions taught skills for mindfulness, values clarification, and willingness to experience distress in the service of behavior change. RESULTS: Of the intervention completers, ACT participants increased their level of physical activity significantly more than Education participants. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that ACT approaches have the potential to promote short-term increases in physical activity.