I-Hua Chu *, Claudio R. Nigg **, Wen-Lan Wu * and Lan-Yuen Guo *
(*) Department of Sports Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan
(**) Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA
Citation
Chu, I., R. Nigg, C., Wu, W., Guo, L. (2016). Self-determined motivation predicts different physical activity behaviors in patients with coronary heart disease. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 47(6), 545-558. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2016.47.545
Abstract
This study was designed to prospectively examine the relationships between each self-regulation and duration, frequency, and energy expenditure of physical activity in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Sixty-nine CHD patients were recruited and followed for 3 months. Self-determined motivation and duration, frequency, and energy expenditure of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were assessed. The results showed positive correlations between intrinsic, identified, and introjected regulations at baseline and duration and energy expenditure of MVPA at 3-month follow-up. The frequency of MVPA only correlated positively with intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation was the only significant predictor of all three physical activity behaviors at follow-up. We concluded that higher intrinsic motivation could predict longer duration, higher frequency, and more energy expenditure of physical activity in patients with CHD. Physical activity interventions are recommended to target enhancing one’s intrinsic motivation to increase the likelihood of physical activity participation in this population.
Keywords: Coronary Disease, Exercise, Motivation, Personal Autonomy