Analytical Comparison of Three Motivational Components of Exercise Adherence in Physically Active Hong Kong and United Kingdom University Students

比較香港及英國大專學生慣性參與體育之動機的跨文化研究

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.

Physical activity has numerous positive physical and psychological benefits. Therefore, a physically active lifestyle benefits both the individual and the society. Nevertheless, many people drop out from their sport or exercise regimen. In this inquiry three motivational factors in exercise adherence, including predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors, were studied from a cross-cultural perspective. A total of 235 male (n=l51) and female (n=84) volunteers (mean age=2l.4±2.6 years) from Hong Kong (n=112) and United Kingdom (n=123) completed an exercise habits inventory and the Physical Activity Adherence Questionnaire (PAAQ). All participants were physically active, of whom 132 have once quit a sport/exercise in the past whereas 103 never quit. Results revealed that differences exist in predisposing and enabling motivational components of exercise adherence in both cross-cultural and gender comparison studies. Participants who quit a sport or exercise report lesser reinforcing experiences than those who never abandoned an adopted sport or exercise. It is concluded that reinforcing factors play a crucial role in the long term maintenance of a sport or exercise and that both cultural and gender differences need to be taken into serious consideration in the course of facilitation of various exercise/sport behaviours.

本研究將慣性參與運動的動機，分為「個人傾向因素」、「推動參與因素」及「強化因素」(Corbin et al.，2003)，以跨文化方式作出探索，分別在香港(N=112人)及英國(N=123人)以收集問卷形式進行。結果指出，「強化因素」對持續參與體育活動非常重要，而不同文化及性別，對促進參與體育活動的影響亦非常重要。