Kontakt 2014, 16(1):e44-e50 | DOI: 10.1016/j.kontakt.2013.10.001

Perceived health and motivation to physical activity in seniorsSocial Sciences - Original article

Jiří Mudrák^*, Pavel Slepička, Irena Slepičková

Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Fakulta tělesné výchovy a sportu, katedra pedagogiky, psychologie a didaktiky sportu, psychosociální laboratoř

In the present study, we examined physical activity, perceived health and related motivational constructs in Czech older adults. It is a correlational questionnaire study conducted in a sample of 315 Czech seniors, mostly participants of various educational and social programs for older adults. We administered a battery of questionnaires to measure self-rated physical activity (PASE, LTEQ), perceived health (SF-12) and motivation to physical activity (scales of perceived self-efficacy, social support and self-regulation strategies).
We found a significant relationship between physical activity and perceived physical and mental health. Considering the motivational constructs, we found a significant relationship between physical activity and perceived self-efficacy and social support. On the other hand, we found weaker relationship between physical activity and explicit motivational strategies, such as planning, goal-setting and self-regulation. The results may indicate that physical activity of our respondents is predominantly habitual. They probably do not focus on exercise itself but the physical activity may be a byproduct of other activities. This is supported also by the fact that the indicated physical activity of respondents stemmed mostly from everyday activities, such as walking, gardening or working around the house.

Keywords: seniors; aging; physical activity; health; motivation

Received: February 18, 2013; Accepted: October 25, 2013; Published: March 21, 2014  Show citation