School of Kinesiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010 Jan 26;7:7. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-7-7.
It is important to engage in regular physical activity in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle however a large portion of the population is insufficiently active. Understanding how different types of motivation contribute to exercise behavior is an important first step in identifying ways to increase exercise among individuals. The current study employs self-determination theory as a framework from which to examine how motivation contributes to various characteristics of exercise behavior.
Regular exercisers (N = 1079; n = 468 males; n = 612 females) completed inventories which assessed the frequency, intensity, and duration with which they exercise, as well as the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire including four additional items assessing integrated regulation.
Bivariate correlations revealed that all three behavioral indices (frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise) were more highly correlated with more autonomous than controlling regulations. Regression analyses revealed that integrated and identified regulations predicted exercise frequency for males and females. Integrated regulation was found to be the only predictor of exercise duration across both genders. Finally, introjected regulation predicted exercise intensity for females only.
These findings suggest that exercise regulations that vary in their degree of internalization can differentially predict characteristics of exercise behavior. Furthermore, in the motivational profile of a regular exerciser, integrated regulation appears to be an important determinant of exercise behavior. These results highlight the importance of assessing integrated regulation in exercise settings where the goal of understanding motivated behavior has important health implications.
为了保持健康的生活方式，定期进行身体活动很重要，然而，很大一部分人活动量不足。了解不同类型的动机如何促进锻炼行为是识别如何增加个体锻炼的重要第一步。本研究采用自我决定理论作为框架，从该理论出发来检验动机如何促进锻炼行为的各种特征。
经常锻炼者（N=1079；男性 n=468；女性 n=612）完成了评估他们锻炼频率、强度和持续时间的问卷，以及《运动行为调节问卷》，该问卷包含另外四项评估综合调节的项目。
双变量相关分析显示，所有三种行为指标（锻炼的频率、强度和持续时间）与自主性更强的调节因素的相关性均高于控制性调节因素。回归分析显示，综合调节和认同调节因素可预测男性和女性的锻炼频率。综合调节是两性中唯一预测锻炼持续时间的因素。最后，内摄调节仅预测女性的锻炼强度。
这些发现表明，在内部化程度不同的运动调节因素可以不同地预测运动行为的特征。此外，在经常锻炼者的动机特征中，综合调节似乎是运动行为的一个重要决定因素。这些结果强调了在评估与理解动机行为具有重要健康意义的运动环境中的综合调节的重要性。
