The Influence of the Social Context on Motivation towards the Practice of Physical Activity and the Intention to be Physically Active

Rubén Trigueros, José M. Aguilar-Parra, Adolfo J. Cangas, José María Fernández-Batanero and Joaquín F. Álvarez
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Rubén Trigueros: Department of Psychology, Hum-878 Research Team, Health Research Centre, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
José M. Aguilar-Parra: Department of Psychology, Hum-878 Research Team, Health Research Centre, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Adolfo J. Cangas: Department of Psychology, Hum-760 Research Team, Health Research Centre, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
José María Fernández-Batanero: Department of Education, University of Seville, 41011 Seville, Spain
Joaquín F. Álvarez: Department of Psychology, Hum-878 Research Team, Health Research Centre, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-20

Abstract: According to WHO data, only around 20% of adolescents participate in physical activity (PA) during their free time. The social context can act as a support for adolescents to do PA, given the effect that both parents, friends and teachers have on young people’s behaviour owing to the large amount of time and influence they have on them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the role of the social context on adolescents’ motivation to practise PA and their intention to be physically active. This study involved the participation of students in compulsory and post-compulsory secondary education. Several statistical analyses were performed, including three confirmatory factorial analyses of the scales and a structural equations model that explains the causal relationships between the variables. The results showed how support for autonomy in the social context positively predicts autonomous motivation, whereas the psychological control of the social context negatively predicts it. Autonomous motivation positively predicted intent, attitude, behavioural control and subjective norms, and consequently, the practice of physical activity. In short, the study showed how the three validated scales have adequate goodness-of-fit indices while the structural equations model demonstrated the influence of the social context on the student’s motivational processes and the adoption of active life habits.

Keywords: adolescence; physical activity; social context; motivation; school (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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