Influence of materialism and social norms on physical activity participation

Societal trends of the last decade, including increasing rates of obesity and sedentary behavior, underscore the importance of better understanding all of the psychosocial determinants of physical activity (PA). Additionally, the pervasiveness of consumerism and materialistic values orientation (MVO) and the relationship such values have with social norms and PA participation needs to be more clearly understood. Methods: A mixed methods, cross-sectional study utilized quantitative (n=482) and qualitative analysis (8 focus groups) to investigate how materialism and social norms (from the Integrated Behavioral Model) are related to participation in PA. Results: Pearson bivariate correlations found injunctive and descriptive norms were significantly associated with PA and sedentary behavior, but not MVO. Linear regression analysis indicated a multivariate model where MVO (p=0.014) and injunctive norms (p<0.001) were significant predictors of PA (p<0.001, R2=.039). Qualitative findings suggest participants who were more materialistic had stronger desires for conformity; and thereby heightened awareness of visibility to peers and social image. Further, materialistic participants expressed a normative expectation for aesthetics related PA motivation. Whereas, lower MVO participants assumed motivation for PA was enjoyment. Conclusions: The influence of social norms is a critical element for consideration in understanding contextual environments in which PA occurs. Message tailoring by MVO and PA level may be a more effective way to reach student populations. MVO warrants consideration by programming and health education professionals to encourage a more inclusive approach to understanding PA environments and increasing PA.