Analysis of Course Type, Gender, and Personal Incentives to Exercise

Abstract

206 women and 88 men enrolled in classes requiring different amounts of physical activity were administered the Personal Incentives for Exercise Questionnaire. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance, with course type and gender as the categorical independent variables and 10 subscale scores representing incentives to exercise as the multivariate dependent variables, was completed. Canonical discriminant analysis was used to identify which of the incentives is most useful in discriminating among participants in active and less active classes or between men and women. For main effects, analysis indicated an over-all significant difference for both course type and gender. Men scored higher than women on activity and on competition, for example, while women scored higher on appearance and weight management.

Go Figure? Body-Shape Motives are Associated with Decreased Physical Activity Participation Among Midlife Women

“…The results of their study (of a sample recruited from a fitness facility) and others (Cash et al, 1994;Finkenberg et al, 1994;Frederick & Ryan, 1993) suggest that appearance-and bodyfocused motives are a positive influence on exercise participation. However, most of the research that shows this positive association between exercise and body-focused motives has been conducted with university-age women, and/or women who are physically active.…”

“…Available research on body-shape and appearance motives for exercise is inconclusive. Some research shows that body-related motives for physical activity are positively associated with participation (Cash, Novy, & Grant, 1994;Finkenberg, DiNucci, McCune, & McCune, 1994), whereas other studies suggest that such motives are negatively related to participation (Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, 1998;Ryan, Frederick, Lepes, Rubio, & Sheldon, 1997). The purpose of the present study is to add to our knowledge about the relationship between body-shape and weight motives for physical activity and midlife women's physical activity participation.…”

Midlife Women’s Physical Activity Goals: Sociocultural Influences and Effects on Behavioral Regulation

“…The following eighteen goals were obtained from a comprehensive review of the literature: stress reduction, weight maintenance, energy level, tone/shape body, sense of well-being, weight loss, social reasons, overall health benefits, flexibility, competition, disease prevention, family time, enjoyment, cardiovascular fitness, endurance/stamina, strength, fun, and other (Campbell et al 2001;Cash et al 1994;Duda and Tappe 1988;Finkenberg et al 1994;Frederick and Morrison 1996;Gill and Overdorf 1994;Ryan et al 1997;Trujillo et al 2004).…”

Motives for physical activity among active and inactive persons in their mid‐30s

“…However, it is important to remember that motives may change during the stages of physical activity adoption (Frederick & Ryan, 1993). Changes in motivation may also be due to exercise type (Ryan et al, 1997;de Andrade Bastos et al, 2006), gender, and primarily age (Finkenberg et al, 1994;Gill et al, 1996;Dacey et al, 2008).…”