Roberto Ferriz

Promotion of autonomy for participation in physical activity: a study based on the trans-contextual model of motivation

The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of a school-based intervention to promote physical activity, utilising the postulates of the trans-contextual model of motivation. The study examined two separate classes of elementary school students (mean age 11.28 years), one of which served as the control group (n = 26) and the other as the experimental group (n = 21). The intervention in the experimental group consisted of showing videos related to physical activity participation, conducting discussions and doing tasks related to the content presented in the videos and conducting family discussions. Autonomy support from teachers, peers and parents; motivation in physical education and leisure time physical activity; the different variables of theory of planned behaviour; and physical activity, were measured before and after the intervention. Results showed an increase in teacher autonomy support, identified regulation in physical education, autonomy support from parents and peers, integrated and identified regulation in leisure time physical activity, control, subjective norm, intention and physical activity in the experimental group. Furthermore, this increase resulted in post-intervention differences across groups in such variables. Results are discussed in relation to the important role of families in the promotion of physical activity participation.

Spanish adaptation and validation of the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI)

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to validate the Addiction Exercise Inventory (EAI) in the Spanish context. METHOD Five hundred and eighty-four university students participated in the study, completing a questionnaire that assessed exercise addiction, exercise frequency and intensity. RESULTS The results supported the factor structure of the EAI model. An alpha value of .70 and high level of temporal stability (ICC = .92) were obtained. The structure of the model was invariant across gender. A group of 87 students (14.9%) obtained a total score equal to or higher than 24 in the EAI and were classified as being at risk of exercise addiction. Students exercising more than three days per week at high intensity obtained higher scores in exercise addiction than students exercising at low-medium intensity, regardless of their frequency. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study showed the reliability and validity of the EAI in a Spanish context, providing a practical instrument that allows screening for exercise addiction.

Motivos de los ciudadanos para realizar ejercicio físico: un estudio desde la teoría de la autodeterminación

Based on self-determination theory, the objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between the reasons for exercise and its reported weekly frequency in a representative sample of an adult urban population. A total of 918 inhabitants, aged between 16 and 89, participated in this study answering the Spanish version of the Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2) and reporting on their exercise frequency. Controlling for the influence of age and gender, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that participants who reported the highest exercise frequency had the highest score on both self-determined and controlling exercise motives, except the ill-health avoidance motive. The results support propositions of self-determination theory, and suggest that citizens may internalize exercise behaviour as they become more physically active. However, the results also suggest that some controlling motives are pertinent to exercise. Decision makers of the local sport policy should look into suitable ways of combining both controlling motives and more internalized motives in order to produce long lasting exercise adherence in citizens.

Psychometric Properties of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS-7) in Spanish Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to validate the Spanish version of Motl and Conroys model of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS-7). To achieve this goal, a sample of 398 secondary school students was used, and the psychometric properties of the SPAS-7 were examined through different analyses. The results supported the seven-item model, although the item 5 did not show any significant correlation with two items from this model and had a lower factor loading than the rest of items. The structure of the model was invariant across gender and Body Mass Index (BMI). Alpha value over .70 and suitable levels of temporal stability were obtained. Girls and students classified according to the BMI as overweight and obese had higher scores in social physique anxiety than boys and the group classified as underweight and normal range. The findings of this study provided reliability and validity for the SPAS-7 in a Spanish adolescent sample.

Predicting healthy and unhealthy behaviors through physical education: A self-determination theory-based longitudinal approach

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relations between three dimensions of the structured teaching environment (promotion of theoretical knowledge, physical learning, and health improvement) in physical education (PE) and the adoption of health‐related behaviors by students. The study adopted a two‐occasion longitudinal design based on self‐determination theory (SDT). PE students (N = 654, mean age = 16.13, SD = .77) completed measures of perceived structured teaching environment, satisfaction of basic psychological needs and motivation for PE, and healthy (physical activity, sport participation, and healthy eating) and unhealthy (consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs) behaviors at the beginning and end of the first year of post‐compulsory secondary education. Path analysis of the proposed relations among variables supported SDT tenets and showed positive relations between the three dimensions of the structured teaching environment, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation in PE. Autonomous motivation contributed to an explanation of variance in two healthy behaviors, physical activity and sport participation. However, no relation was found among motivation in PE, healthy eating, and consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. These results show negligible trans‐contextual influence of SDT motivational factors in PE on other healthy behaviors beyond physical activity.