Effects of television on enjoyment of exercise in college students

Abstract

Purpose: Determine the effects of television viewing on enjoyment of exercise in college students. Methods: Forty-three college students (Mean ± SD; age = 19 ± 2 y, body mass index (BMI) = 23.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2) completed two 30-minute cycling exercise sessions at a moderate exercise intensity (40% peak oxygen consumption), in randomised order. Experimental session required participants to view a nature series programme (TV), while in the control session they did not watch television (No-TV). Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and Feeling Scale (FS) were measured at 10, 20 and 30 minutes of exercise. The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale was administered following each session. Enjoyment of exercise was analysed with a paired samples t-test. Additional analyses were conducted to assess the influence of potential physiological and psychological mediators of exercise enjoyment. Correlational analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between mean FS values and enjoyment of exercise for each visit. Repeated measures ANOVAs (condition x time) were performed on RPE. Results: Enjoyment of exercise was higher for TV (87 ± 19) vs. No-TV (79 ± 1 6) (p = .016) and was positively correlated with intrinsic motivation (r = 0.347) (p < .05). Mean FS values were correlated with enjoyment for both conditions (p < .05). No differences in RPE between sessions were observed (p = .127). Conclusion: Watching television during exercise may positively enhance the overall experience and promote enjoyment of exercise.