Adolescent exercise motives : comparisons across gender and activiy levels
Date
1998
Authors
Wilson, Robert Byron
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Abstract
The present study was designed to measure the exercise participation motives of adolescents and to determine whether their motivational orientations differed in relation to gender, sport involvement, activity preference, environmental preference, and current activity level. Two hundred and forty three adolescents (mean age= 16.4 years) completed Markland and Ingledew's (1997) Exercise Motivations Inventory - 2 (EMI - 2) which assessed the strength of 14 objectives for exercising. Results supported previous research as a MANOV A indicated females exercised more for the health, appearance, and weight-management incentives, while males placed a greater emphasis on participating to experience the competition and social recognition. A number of differences were also evident when adolescents' motives for exercising were compared based on their sport involvement, activity preference, and environmental preference. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 75.3% of the inactive and 74.1 % of the highly active adolescents based on the 14 subscales of the EMI - 2. Implications for health and fitness professionals are discussed, as well as avenues for future research.