Understanding Levels and Motivation of Physical Activity for Health Promotion among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Investigation

OBJECTIVE: Middle-aged and older Chinese adults (35 to 75) failed to meet the recommendations of physical activity guidelines for health promotion, because of a lack of understanding of their perspective on physical activity. This study considers the physical activity levels and motivation among middle-aged and older Chinese adults partitioned into three different participation groups (sports, exercise, and recreational and cultural activities). METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 633 participants, based on two different levels of physical activity levels. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2) with 14 subscales were used to measure the participant's physical activity levels and physical activity motivation for the three different group activities. RESULTS: Results indicate those participants' physical activity levels and motivation varied significantly among the different groups. The participants who engage in recreational and cultural activities have a higher motivation for physical activity, as compared with those whose primary form of physical activity is sports and exercise, and a higher probability to fulfill the global recommendations concerning physical activity. Participants who used recreational and cultural activities as their major type of physical activities were more motivated by “intrinsic” aspects. In contrast, those who participate in sports and exercise as their main type of physical activity are more motivated by “extrinsic” aspects. CONCLUSION: Close friends and family members of one's home and community have potential influence in physical activity and recreational and cultural activity participants are highly motivated and luckier than others to fulfill the goal of physical activity levels.