Personality, motivational, and social cognition predictors of leisure-time physical activity

Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, autonomous motivation, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs and leisure-time physical activity. The study examined whether autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs mediate the association between personality traits and physical activity, and whether personality traits moderate the relationship of autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs with physical activity. Methods Middle-aged women (N = 441) completed self-report measures of personality traits, autonomous motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intention. Moderate-to-vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MVPA) was measured using accelerometers approximately seven weeks later. Participants’ past accelerometer-based MVPA was available from four years earlier. Results Only autonomous motivation and past MVPA directly predicted MVPA. Neuroticism and past MVPA were indirectly related with MVPA through autonomous motivation. No support for a moderator role of personality traits was found. Conclusions Current data suggest that autonomous motivation and past experience are prominent determinants of accelerometer-based leisure-time MVPA, but not beliefs and intentions.