Relationship between objectively measured intensity of physical activity and self-reported enjoyment of physical activity

Physical activity is an important factor for the maintenance of health. Enjoyment of physical activity is essential to motivate persons to engage in sufficient physical activity. We examined whether self-reported enjoyment of PA is associated with objective measurement of the intensity of PA. A cardiovascular examination program was provided for individuals aged 40–75 years without a history of cardiovascular events in Greifswald, Germany between 2012 and 2013. Participants (n = 255) were asked to wear a three-axial accelerometer device (ActiGraph, GT3X +, Pensacola, Florida, USA) for 7 consecutive days. After wearing the device, the participants were asked to complete the 18-item self-administered physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES). Participants' (n = 200) daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and their enjoyment of PA were analysed in a linear regression approach. The mean age of the participants was 56.3 ± 9.7 years, 41.0% were male. The average MVPA duration was 44.4 ± 27.3 min per day. In the regression analysis, enjoyment of PA was positively associated with MVPA (β = 0.18, 95% CI (0.05; 0.31), p = 0.009), participants with higher enjoyment of PA showed higher MVPA. We found a positive association between MVPA and enjoyment of PA, although for male participants only. Between bouted MVPA and enjoyment of PA there was no significant relationship.