Predictors of Personal Investment in Physical Activity among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the social psychological components of Personal Investment Theory and exercise behaviors among 47 middle-aged and older men and women participating in an organized exercise program. Specifically, the degree to which personal incentives for exercise, perceptions of sense of self (i.e., physical self-efficacy, fitness locus of control, self-motivation, social identity), and the congruence between program and participants' goals predict present physical activity and estimated future physical activity was examined. Multiple regression analyses indicated that present and future exercise behaviors significantly related to social psychological variables reflecting personal investment.