Motives for adult participation in physical activity: type of activity, age, and gender

Background In recent years, there has been a decline in physical activity among adults. Motivation has been shown to be a crucial factor in maintaining physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether motives for participation could accurately discriminate gender, age, and type of physical activity. Methods A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed. The Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS) was used to assess motives for physical activity in 1,360 adults (703 males, 657 females) who had been exercising regularly for at least six months. The PALMS consists of 40 items that constitute eight sub-scales (mastery, enjoyment, psychological condition, physical condition, appearance, others’ expectations, affiliation, competition/ego). Respondents were divided into two age groups (young adults aged 20 to 40 years and middle-aged adults 41 to 64 years) and five types of activity (individual racing sports plus bowls, team sports, racquet sports, martial arts, and exercise). Results The group discriminant function analyses revealed significant canonical functions correctly classifying the cases into gender (82%), age group (83%), team sport players 76%, individual racing sport plus bowls players 91%, racquet sport players 90%, exercisers 84%, and martial art players 91%. The competition/ego, appearance, physical condition, and mastery sub-scales contributed most to gender differences. Five sub-scales (mastery, psychological condition, others’ expectations, affiliation, and enjoyment) contributed most to the discriminant function for age. For type of activity, different sub-scales were the strongest contributors to the discriminant function for each type of PA. Conclusion The findings in this study suggest that strong and important motives for participation in physical activity are different across type of activity, age, and gender in adults. Understanding the motives that influence physical activity participation is critical for developing interventions to promote higher levels of involvement

Attitude Towards Sport Practice: What Makes an Individual Continued Practice of Sport?

Sport practice is conditioned by different factors; previous studies have shown that the attitude towards physical activity and sports practice is largely conditioned by the individual. This study proposes to examine whether the classic model of the theory of planned behaviour reinforces the main motivations for people to adhere to a sport practice. An empirical model based on the classic model of the theory of planned behaviour was proposed, adding three motivational variables to sport practice. A sample was composed of 1008 valid questionnaires collected online in Spain and Colombia. The analysis of the data was performed using the partial least squares technique using the Smart PLS 3.0 statistical programme. The proposed model presents a statistical validity that proves that the practice of physical and sporting activity is determined by the individual’s evaluation of their abilities and perceptions and their relationship with the motivations generated by continuing the practice of physical or sports activity, consequently how adherence is generated. © 2020, Associação Brasileira de Psicologia