Television Viewing Does Not Have to Be Sedentary: Motivation to Participate in a TV Exercise Program

Abstract

The present study explored which underlying motivations induced people to participate in a television exercise program called “The Netherlands on the Move!-television” (NOM-tv). A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1,349 viewers of NOM-tv. The respondents completed the intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI), assessing their levels of intrinsic motivation towards participating in the NOM-tv exercises. The results showed that higher levels of intrinsic motivation (i.e. enjoying the NOM-tv exercises, feeling competent to perform this activity, and willingness to put effort into the exercises) were the most important predictive factors of more frequent participation in the NOM-tv exercises. Future screen-based interventions to reduce sedentary behavior should aim especially at encouraging people's intrinsic orientations towards physical activity in an autonomy-supportive way.

Effectiveness of a Behavior Change Technique–Based Smartphone Game to Improve Intrinsic Motivation and Physical Activity Adherence in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Average daily in-game steps between 1619 and 2206 throughout the intervention period indicate a substantially better PA adherence that is especially meaningful when considering the distinctly longer timeframe of 24 weeks. The stable, objectively measured increases in weekly PA during the intervention period, along with the positive association between total in-game training (minutes) and change in IMI score, further confirm the previously indicated [25,36] importance of pursuing improvements in intrinsic motivation through increased PA enjoyment especially in behavioral interventions targeting inactive and unmotivated individuals. As this smartphone game is a motivating and enjoyable experience, the subjectively perceived cost of PA is reduced and people are encouraged to engage in regular PA based on their personal intrinsic motivation [14,43].…”

“…A comparison of the magnitude of these improvements with other studies is difficult, since no studies used IMI to assess changes in intrinsic motivation in game-based interventions that promote PA. However, a cross-sectional study [36] showed that enjoyment and perceived competence of performing a television exercise program (ie, higher intrinsic motivation) are the most predictive factors of more frequent participation in the program. The recorded in-game training data in our study support this finding.…”

“…Intrinsic PA motivation was measured using an abridged 12-item version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) at baseline and after the 24-week intervention. The IMI has gained widespread acceptance as a multidimensional measure of intrinsic motivation in the context of sports and physical activity [36-41]. The questionnaire included four subscales: “interest/enjoyment,” “perceived competence,” “perceived choice,” and “value/usefulness.” These subscales have been previously used to assess participants’ subjective experience regarding participation in a television exercise program [36] and to examine the motivational pull of video games [26].…”

“…The IMI has gained widespread acceptance as a multidimensional measure of intrinsic motivation in the context of sports and physical activity [36-41]. The questionnaire included four subscales: “interest/enjoyment,” “perceived competence,” “perceived choice,” and “value/usefulness.” These subscales have been previously used to assess participants’ subjective experience regarding participation in a television exercise program [36] and to examine the motivational pull of video games [26]. The “interest/enjoyment” subscale is considered the true self-report measure of intrinsic motivation, whereas “perceived competence,” “perceived choice,” and “value/usefulness” are viewed as positive predictors of intrinsic motivation [36].…”

“…The questionnaire included four subscales: “interest/enjoyment,” “perceived competence,” “perceived choice,” and “value/usefulness.” These subscales have been previously used to assess participants’ subjective experience regarding participation in a television exercise program [36] and to examine the motivational pull of video games [26]. The “interest/enjoyment” subscale is considered the true self-report measure of intrinsic motivation, whereas “perceived competence,” “perceived choice,” and “value/usefulness” are viewed as positive predictors of intrinsic motivation [36]. The items of each subscale were modified to fit the content of this study and rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ( not at all true ) to 7 ( very true ).…”