Is motivation to physical activity practice associated with the lifestyle of individuals who undergo weight training in the context of higher education?

Résumé

This study aimed at investigating the association between motivation to physical activity practice and the lifestyle of the staff and students from the university known as Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina-PE, who undergo weight training. The sample comprised 659 subjects. the physical activity and leisure motivation scale, as well as the Fantastic Lifestyle questionnaire were used. Data analysis was carried out by using Kruskall-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, Spearman correlation and Path Analysis (p < 0.05). Considering all the subjects of the present research, the results showed that the highest motivation indexes were related to health/fitness issues, and the lowest ones with the social factor. It is worth mentioning that the students, when compared to the administrative staff and professors, are more motivated to practice physical activity for having fun and improving their physical appearance, in addition to making new friends. The health/fitness and appearance factors had a significant impact on the lifestyle of the professors, whereas fun/interest had a significant impact on the lifestyle of the students. It was concluded that intrinsic motivation is intervenient in the sense that students develop healthy habits. On the other hand, autonomous motivation shall influence the increase healthy behavior among the professors, whereas extrinsic motives may discourage a healthy lifestyle.