Motivation to engage in physical activity among health sciences students

Abstract

Introduction.Engaging in regular exercise is essential because it improves the efficiency of body, delays the ageing process, and makes it easier for us to perform basic everyday activities. It is important to remember that it is never too late to start health training. It has been noted that health training affects both our physical and mental health.Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the motivation to exercise in both physically active women and men.Material and methods.The study involved 1590 health sciencesstudents who had a moderate level of physical activity.The survey used the EMI-2 questionnaire. To assess differences in motivation for physical activity measured using the EMI-2 questionnaire, in gender groups, the Mann–Whitney U test without continuity correction (p1) and with correction (p2) was conducted.Results and conclusions.The most important motivators for undertaking physical activity are pleasure, mental regeneration, and maintaining health. The least important motivation to exercise are health pressure, social recognition, and the desire to belong to a group.For men, the most important motivation to engage in physical activity is the pleasure of doing it.Women engage in physical activity primarily owing to the desire to maintain an appropriate state of health.