Motives of Future Elementary School Teachers to Be Physically Active

Analysis of the motivational processes involved in university physical activity

Introduction

Physical activity plays an important role in all stages of development, especially in adolescence, as it is a period in which different lifestyles are shaped. Therefore, regular practice of physical activity contributes to an improvement in quality of life. This study analyzed university students' motivational processes and intention to be physically active when engaging in physical activity (PA) according to gender and fields of study.

Methods

A total of 1.524 subjects participated in the study, 61.9% (n = 944) of whom were female and 38.1% (n = 580) were male, with an average age of 19.61 years. The fields of study consisted of Arts and Humanities (n = 118), Science (n = 132), Health Sciences (n = 351), Engineering and Architecture (n = 196) and Social and Legal Sciences (n = 727). The instruments used were the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) and the Intention to be Physically Active in the University Context (MIFAU) measurement scale.

Results

The results showed statistically significant differences in favour of men (p <0.01) in terms of intrinsic, integrated, identified, and introjected regulation of PA. Similarly, men were more likely to be physically active in the future than women (p <0.001). In terms of the study variables relating to the fields of study, statistically significant differences were obtained in the case of both more self-determined behavior (intrinsic, integrated and identified regulation) and amotivation (p <0.001).

Conclusion

It was concluded that there is a need for the promotion of intervention strategies to encourage young adults to take up sporting activities as a means of preventing noncommunicable diseases, thereby avoiding the negative consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity, or abandonment of such activities.

Motivation Regarding Physical Exercise among Health Science University Students

Physical exercise and physical activity are inherent and essential agents in the evolution of active life and are associated with promoting health and well-being. This study aimed to examine the types of regulation of motivations and intentionality needed to be physically active in the future in university students from the Health Sciences branch of knowledge. Method: 351 university students with six university degrees in Health Sciences participated, 21.4% of whom were male and 78.6% women (M = 19.32; SD = 4.01). They answered the following questionnaires: “International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)”, “Behavioural Regulation of Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3)”, and “Intention to be physically active (MIFAU)”. Results: intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation were positively associated (rho = 0.759; p < 0.01), as were integrated and identified codes (rho = 0.645; p < 0.01). When relating the types of motivation regulation and the intention to be physically active, men show a significant difference compared to women. It stands out that physically active people who walk are the most unmotivated (p < 0.01). Conclusions: more self-determined regulations and intentionality to be physically active are related to different physical activity levels and the number of METs.