Go Figure? Body-Shape Motives are Associated with Decreased Physical Activity Participation Among Midlife Women

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between midlife women's physical activity motives and their participation in physical activity. Cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 59 midlife women, most of whom were well-educated European-Americans (mean age = 45.6 years). Body-shape physical activity motives (i.e., motives related to toning, shaping, and weight loss) were compared with all other types of physical activity motives combined. Participants with body-shape motives were significantly less physically active than those with non-body-shape motives (p < .01). Negative affect toward physical activity was negatively associated with participation, but did not mediate the effect of physical activity motives on participation. Body Mass Index (BMI) was not related to physical activity motives or participation. Results suggest that body-shape motives might be associated with less physical activity participation than non-body-shape motives among midlife women.

Midlife Women’s Physical Activity Goals: Sociocultural Influences and Effects on Behavioral Regulation

“…The aims of this study were to expand previous research on midlife women's reasons for being physically active (Segar et al 2006) by investigating (a) the specific content of midlife women's most important goals for being physically active; and (b) to validate the clusters using variables that highlight relevant sociocultural beauty/thinness norms and pressures that influence women's physical activity goal selection and those that indicate intrinsic and introjected behavioral regulation.…”

“…These data suggested that health-and weight-related physical activity goals are more related to social norms and associated with less optimal behavioral regulation compared to goals related to sense of well-being and stress reduction. These findings are important to consider because there is a body of research suggesting that autonomous regulations, intrinsic motivation and persistence in physical activity behavior may be undermined when women initiate physical activity out of compliance to sociocultural norms and pressures Eccles 2005;Segar et al 2006).…”

“…An open-ended, inductive imagination task that elicits specific thoughts, feelings, associations and goals was used. This measure has been used previously and has predictive validity (Scioli et al 2000;Segar et al 2006). Specifically, study participants were asked to "Take some time and imagine that you are being physically active right now.…”

“…This study is important because a better understanding of midlife women's physical activity goal content offers insight into the motivational facilitators and barriers to their participation, and potentially aid in the development of better promotion strategies for this population. The primary objective of this research was to expand previous research about the reasons why midlife women participate in physical activity (Segar et al 2006), and aimed to illuminate the specific content of the physical activity goals midlife women report having using cluster analysis. The secondary objective was to validate these clusters using variables that could highlight sociocultural influences on the content of midlife women's physical activity goals.…”

Women Bound to Be Active: Differences in Long-Term Physical Activity Between Completers and Noncompleters of a Book Club Intervention

“…It has also been reported that midlife women who have body-shape motives are significantly less active than those with nonbody shape motives. 19 Based on these findings, there is a need to examine nonphysical approaches to improving self-worth and PA in women.…”