The aim of this study was to analyze motives for engaging in physical activity and to determine and describe motivational differences related to gender, age and body mass index in adolescents and young adults. For hea...The aim of this study was to analyze motives for engaging in physical activity and to determine and describe motivational differences related to gender, age and body mass index in adolescents and young adults. For health promotion, it is necessary to understand the factors that serve as motivators of physical activity for these age groups. Eight hundred and fourteen participants aged 14-26 years （mean age = 19.83） participated in the study＇s survey and completed the MPAM-R （motives for physical activity Measure-Revised） scale to measure five different motives that were posited to lead youth to engage in physical activity. The most important and the most frequently mentioned motive for participation in females＇ favorite physical activity was fitness, followed by appearance. For male participants, the most frequently cited and important motivational factor for engaging in physical activity was fitness, followed by interest and enjoyment. For young females as well as for young males, the motive of fitness was more important than it was for adolescent girls and boys. For overweight participants, the motive of maintaining a certain appearance was very important. Understanding motivation is a key in persuading students to engage in physical activity. Although intrinsic motivation is not the most frequently mentioned motive, physical education teachers should stress appearance as a benefit of regular physical activity participation.展开更多
文摘The aim of this study was to analyze motives for engaging in physical activity and to determine and describe motivational differences related to gender, age and body mass index in adolescents and young adults. For health promotion, it is necessary to understand the factors that serve as motivators of physical activity for these age groups. Eight hundred and fourteen participants aged 14-26 years （mean age = 19.83） participated in the study＇s survey and completed the MPAM-R （motives for physical activity Measure-Revised） scale to measure five different motives that were posited to lead youth to engage in physical activity. The most important and the most frequently mentioned motive for participation in females＇ favorite physical activity was fitness, followed by appearance. For male participants, the most frequently cited and important motivational factor for engaging in physical activity was fitness, followed by interest and enjoyment. For young females as well as for young males, the motive of fitness was more important than it was for adolescent girls and boys. For overweight participants, the motive of maintaining a certain appearance was very important. Understanding motivation is a key in persuading students to engage in physical activity. Although intrinsic motivation is not the most frequently mentioned motive, physical education teachers should stress appearance as a benefit of regular physical activity participation.
