Personality, motivational, and social cognition predictors of leisure-time physical activity

• Published in: Psychology of sport and exercise Vol. 60; p. 102135
• Main Authors: Kekäläinen, Tiia, Tammelin, Tuija H., Hagger, Martin S., Lintunen, Taru, Hyvärinen, Matti, Kujala, Urho M., Laakkonen, Eija K., Kokko, Katja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2022
• Subjects: Exercise; Midlife; Self-determination theory; Theory of planned behavior; Self-determination theory; Exercise; Midlife; Theory of planned behavior
• ISSN: 1469-0292; 1878-5476
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2022.102135

The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, autonomous motivation, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs and leisure-time physical activity. The study examined whether autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs mediate the association between personality traits and physical activity, and whether personality traits moderate the relationship of autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs with physical activity.
Middle-aged women (N = 441) completed self-report measures of personality traits, autonomous motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intention. Moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers approximately seven weeks later. Participants’ past accelerometer-based MVPA was available from four years earlier.
Only autonomous motivation and past MVPA directly predicted MVPA. Neuroticism and past MVPA were indirectly related with MVPA through autonomous motivation. No support for a moderator role of personality traits was found.
Current data suggest that autonomous motivation and past experience are prominent determinants of accelerometer-based leisure-time MVPA, but not beliefs and intentions.
•Determinants of device-based leisure time physical activity are less studied.•Autonomous motivation predicted moderate-to-vigorous leisure time physical activity.•Past experience predicted moderate-to-vigorous leisure time physical activity.•Neuroticism was linked to physical activity through autonomous motivation.