The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62816

Wynona Black, BS¹, Sarah Boslaugh, PhD¹, Matthew W. Kreuter, PhD, MPH², and Kim Naleid, BS². (1) Health Communications Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63104, 314-977-8166, blackwj@slu.edu, (2) Health Communication Research Laboratory, School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63104

Motivation is a key component in initiating and sustaining physical activity, and different motivational factors are important for different people. Interventions to promote physical activity should be more effective when they recognize and build upon the specific motivational profile of a given population. This study assessed types of motivation for physical activity among 1,077 African American and white adults recruited from two public health centers and a worksite in Saint Louis, MO, using 19 items based on the Self-Determinism theory of motivation. To date, the Self-Determinism theory has not been tested with a diverse working adult population. Using factor analysis, we identified three distinct factors: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and internalized extrinsic motivation. Individuals’ scores on each factor were then used to classify them into one of five motivational types: low motivation, extrinsically motivated, intrinsically motivated, mixed motivation or high motivation. We found that these groups differed significantly on a range of demographic and physical activity-related characteristics. For example, extrinsically motivated individuals perceived themselves as less healthy (p<0.01) and a higher proportion of them suffered from chronic diseases related to sedentary lifestyle, such as diabetes and high blood pressure (p<0.05). Determining the motivational profile of a population and understanding the relationship between types of motivation and level of physical activity is important in being able to target future intervention activities and promote healthy lifestyles.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the different motivational types and how they are assessed.
• Discuss differences in motivational types and how this should guide public health practice.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.