Motives for Participation and Attitudes toward Physical Activity of Adult Participants in Fitness Programs

Abstract

This study investigated motives for participation and attitudes about physical activity of male and female participants in fitness classes in the English West Midlands. Six attitude subdomains were assessed using Kenyon's 1968 Attitude Toward Physical Activity Inventory, while 12 motives were assessed using a separate questionnaire. Men and women differed significantly in attitudes and motives which supported the choice of activity made by each sex, i.e., self-monitoring circuit training for men and expressive dance-based fitness for women. Correlations calculated separately for each sex did not show associations between individual motives and attitudes. Research must address the issue of generalized attitudes about physical activity and their relation to motives.