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Qualitative and quantitative evidence of motivation states for physical activity, exercise and being sedentary from university student focus groups

##article.authors##

  • Matthew Stults-Kolehmainen Yale - New Haven Hospital https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5361-9614
  • Todd Gilson Northern Illinois University
  • Nicholas SantaBarbara Merrimack College
  • Paul McKee Duke University
  • Rajita Sinha Yale University School of Medicine
  • John Bartholomew The University of Texas at Austin
  • Daniel Boullosa Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul
  • Christopher Budnick Southern Connecticut State University
  • Fabio Amador Bueno Connecticut Community Colleges Nursing Program, Gateway Community College
  • Adrian Haughton Yale University School of Medicine
  • Jessica Barker University of Minnesota
  • Garrett Ash Yale University School of Medicine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51224/SRXIV.189

Keywords:

motivation, autonomous motivation, physical activity, exercise, stress, automatic processes, automaticity

Abstract

Motivation for physical activity and sedentary behaviors (e.g., desires, urges, wants, cravings) varies from moment to moment. According to the WANT model, these motivation states may be affectively-charged (e.g, felt as tension), particularly after periods of maximal exercise or extended rest. The purpose of this study was to examine postulates of the WANT model utilizing a mixed-methods approach. We hypothesized that: 1) qualitative evidence would emerge from interviews to support this model, and 2) motivation states would quantitatively change over the course of an interview period. Seventeen undergraduate students (mean age = 18.6, 13 women) engaged in focus groups where 12 structured questions were presented. Participants completed the “right now” version of the CRAVE scale before and after interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. A total of 410 unique lower-order themes were classified and grouped into 43 higher order themes (HOTs). From HOTs, six super higher order themes (SHOTs) were designated:  1) wants and aversions, 2) change and stability, 3) autonomy and automaticity, 4) objectives and impulses, 5) restraining and propelling forces, 6) stress and boredom. Participants stated that they experienced desires to move and rest, including during the interview, but these states changed rapidly and varied both randomly as well as systematically across periods of minutes to months. Some also described a total absence of desire or even aversion to move and rest. Of note, strong urges and cravings for movement, typically from conditions of deprivation (e.g., sudden withdrawal from exercise training) were associated with physical and mental manifestations, such as fidgeting and feeling restless. Urges were often consummated with behavior (e.g., exercise sessions, naps), which often resulted in satiation and subsequent drop in desire. Importantly, stress was frequently described as both an inhibitor and instigator of motivation states. CRAVE-Move increased pre-to-post (p < .01). CRAVE-Rest demonstrated a trend to decline (p = .057). Overall, qualitative and quantitative data largely corroborated postulates of the WANT model, demonstrating that people experience wants, desires and cravings to move and rest, and that these states appear to fluctuate significantly, especially in the context of stress, boredom, satiety and deprivation.

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2022-08-29