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Relationships between physical education enjoyment processes, physical activity, and exercise habit strength among high school students
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Relationships between physical education enjoyment processes, physical activity, and exercise habit strength among high school students

H.A. Hashim, J.R. Grove and P.R. Whipp
Asian Journal of Exercise and Sports Science, Vol.5(1), pp.23-30
2008
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Abstract

The present study was undertaken to examine a model of physical education (PE) enjoyment, physical activity (PA), and exercise habit strength among adolescents aged 11 to 16 years in Western Australia. The sample consisted of 481 secondary school students (Mean age = 13.7, SD = 0.9). Participants completed self-report measures of PE enjoyment processes, PA frequency, duration and intensity, and exercise habit strength. Exercise habit strength was conceptualized as the urge to exercise following physical activity cues, minimal conscious effort for initiation and execution of exercise behaviours, guilty feeling when exercise is not performed, and planned and routinized exercise involvement. Evidence of factorial validity and internal consistency was obtained for the enjoyment processes measure and the exercise habit measure. The results of structural equation modeling revealed an acceptable goodness of fit for the data. Analysis of model invariance revealed a nonsignificant difference between male and female samples. Findings support the notion that PE enjoyment is important in promoting adolescent PA. To ensure that PE is enjoyable for students, we suggest that certain enjoyment processes, particularly activity-related excitement, should be considered when structuring the PE program. Enjoyable PE experiences will, in turn, increase the probability of a physically active lifestyle and have a positive impact on adolescent health.

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