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Daniel D Adame, PhD, CHES, Health, Physical Education and Dance, Emory University, Woodruff PE Center 314F, 600 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404-727-4092, phyedda@emory.edu, Steven P. Cole, PhD, Research Design Associates, 1315 Baptist Church Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, and Sally A. Radell, MFA, Department of Health, Physical Education and Dance, Emory University, Rich Building 115, Atlanta, GA 30322.
The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of body image, locus of control and self-reported amount of exercise on the reasons that college students exercise. Two-hundred-seventy-four college students (156 women, 118 men) enrolled in a personal health course completed the Adame, Cole, Johnson, and Matthiasson (1990) 9-Point Amount of Exercise Scale, Cash (1990) Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale, and the Silberstein, Striegel-Moore, Timko, and Rodin (1988) Reasons for Exercise Inventory. Factor analyses indicated that the Reasons for Exercise instrument has internally consistent structure with factors for women of Appearance, Fitness/Health Management, Socializing, Societal Expectations/Body Tone, Stress/Mood Management and Weight Control, and for men of Appearance, Fitness, Health Management, Socializing, Societal Expectations/Body Tone and Stress/Mood Management. Regression analyses indicated that, for women, satisfaction with appearance; extent of investment in appearance, fitness and health; low body-areas satisfaction; overweight preoccupation; and, amount of exercise correlated with the reasons for exercise scales. For men, locus of control; satisfaction with health; extent of investment in appearance and fitness; extent of reactivity to being ill; low body-areas satisfaction; and overweight preoccupation correlated with the reason for exercise scales. Given the status regarding the physical fitness of the nations youth, assessing the motives for exercise of young people and their relations to body image and locus of control may assist health and physical educators in developing timely and appropriate curricula and fitness activities.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Physical Activity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.