ASSESSMENT OF HOW INTERNALIZED FORMS OF MOTIVATION MEDIATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUPPORTS FOR BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity has increased steadily over the last 30 years and it is a growing concern for school, health and recreation providers. Decreases in time spent in physical activity and increased participation in sedentary activities are linked to the steady rise of obese and overweight youth (Rossner, 2002). Guided by Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), the purpose of this study was to examine how supports for the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness are related to the performance of physical activity behaviors among youth. This study specifically examined how intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between supports for basic psychological needs and performance of physical activity behaviors. The study acquired data from a rural county school district in eastern North Carolina. School administrators collected responses from 115 students attending grades 6-10 using electronic questionnaires. Data were collected as part of an on-going community health initiative aimed at increasing physical activity within the county. Physical activity participation was measured using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAC-Q), while measures for motivation and support of basic psychological needs came from a study conducted by Ntoumanis (2001). Results demonstrate the importance of perceived competence in the support for intrinsic motivation, and the indirect effect of perceived competence on physical activity participation. The discussion reviews the results in the context of the literature, and emphasizes the need to support competence in programs designed for early adolescents.