doi:10.3390/ijerph16224368engCorella, CristinaZaragoza, JavierJulian, Jose AntonioRodriguez-Ontiveros, Victor HugoMedrano, Carlos TomasPlaza, InmaculadaAbarca-Sos, AlbertoImproving Physical Activity Levels and Psychological Variables on University Students in the Contemplation StageART-2019-114651This study aimed to investigate the effects of a physical activity intervention, based on self-determination theory and the transtheoretical model, on university students in the contemplation stage. Participants: 42 students, in the contemplation stage at baseline, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (16 women, 2 men; M age = 19.1 ± 1.15) and a control group (18 women, 2 men; M age = 20.1 ± 5.7). Methods: Physical activity was measured at different moments by accelerometry. Other cognitive variables were measured by self-reported scales. Results: We did not find any significant increases in students’ physical activity in favor of the intervention group. Intragroup analyses indicate that the intervention has an effect on physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), basic psychological needs, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Conclusions: Results partially demonstrate that applying social cognitive theories seems to be effective in improving physical activity and cognitive variables in university students in the contemplation stage2019http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/8540810.3390/ijerph16224368http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/85408oai:zaguan.unizar.es:85408International journal of environmental research and public health 9, 16 (2019), 4368 [13 pp.]byhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess