A - 31 Competitiveness Drives Young University Students off the Couch
Abstract Objective Purpose. Daily physical activity (PA) is effective in supporting cognitive and physical health. However, many Canadians do not meet the public health recommendation of at least 150 mins/week of moderate-to-vigorous PA. The current study examined individual differences in traits such as motivation (intrinsic-IM, extrinsic-EM), and competitiveness, as well as executive abilities (strategic planning; SP) in predicting physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Methods Method. 102 university students ages 18 to 30 (M = 20.78 years; 74% female) were recruited from a mid-sized Canadian city. Using a formula that differentially weighted moderate and vigorous activity (measured with the International PA Questionnaire), we fit a linear model predicting PA within the past week by SP (Executive Function Index), IM and EM (Global Motivation Scale), and competitiveness (Revised Competitiveness Scale). Results Results. Only competitiveness predicted PA within the past week (β = 0.309, p = 0.001). Follow-up regressions indicated enjoyment of the activity being the most predictive component (β =0.231, p = 0.017). Both EM (β = 0.202, p = 0.015) and IM (β = −0.223, p = 0.012) predicted sedentary behaviour when accounting for competitiveness and demographics (age, gender). Conclusions Conclusions. Strategic planning and motivation did not predict exercise within the past week and therefore did not appear to serve as precursors to PA engagement in this university sample. Competitiveness, and in particular the enjoyment of the activity, significantly predicted exercise engagement; however, IM was negatively associated with sedentary behaviour, whereas EM was positively associated, suggesting motivational differences in sedentary behaviour but not physical exercise. Further research is required to account for individual differences in physical activity engagement.