Personality, motivational, and social cognition predictors of leisure-time physical activity

Tiia Kekäläinen,Tuija H Tammelin,Martin S Hagger,Taru Lintunen,Matti Hyvärinen,Urho M Kujala,Eija K Laakkonen,Katja Kokko

doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2022.102135

Abstract

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, autonomous motivation, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs and leisure-time physical activity. The study examined whether autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs mediate the association between personality traits and physical activity, and whether personality traits moderate the relationship of autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs with physical activity. MethodsMiddle-aged women (N = 441) completed self-report measures of personality traits, autonomous motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intention. Moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers approximately seven weeks later. Participants’ past accelerometer-based MVPA was available from four years earlier. ResultsOnly autonomous motivation and past MVPA directly predicted MVPA. Neuroticism and past MVPA were indirectly related with MVPA through autonomous motivation. No support for a moderator role of personality traits was found. ConclusionsCurrent data suggest that autonomous motivation and past experience are prominent determinants of accelerometer-based leisure-time MVPA, but not beliefs and intentions.

Highlights

Regular participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has well-known physical and psychological benefits (Warbur ton, Nicol, & Bredin, 2006)
A comparison of the analytic sample to the Finnish population and the Es trogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) baseline study are presented in the Supplementary Material (Tables S2 and S3)
The model fit was not adequate: χ2 = 207.17, df = 12, p < .001; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.809; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.476; standard root mean residual (SRMR) = 0.085, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.192, 90% CI

Summary

Introduction

Regular participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has well-known physical and psychological benefits (Warbur ton, Nicol, & Bredin, 2006). Levels of physical inactivity are high in many populations globally, and this has been recognised as a major public health issue (Guthold, Stevens, Riley, & Bull, 2018). Initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity need to be based on a fundamental understanding of physical activity behaviours and the factors that contribute to them (Hagger & Weed, 2019). One approach is to focus on dispositional personality traits and more modifiable motivational and social cognition factors (Coulter, Mallett, Singer, & Gucciardi, 2016; McAdams, 1995). The relatively stable dispositional characteristics of personality are captured by personality measures (McAdams, 1995).

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Results

Conclusion