Perceived health and motivation to physical activity in seniors

In the present study, we examined the physical activity, and the perceived health and related motivational constructs in Czech older adults. It is a correlational questionnaire study conducted in a sample of 315 Czech seniors, mostly participants of various educational and social programmes for older adults. We administered a battery of questionnaires to measure self-rated physical activity (PASE, LTEQ), perceived health (SF-12) and motivation to physical activity (scales of perceived self-efficacy, social support and self-regulation strategies).We found a significant relationship between physical activity and perceived physical and mental health. Considering the motivational constructs, we found a significant relationship between physical activity and perceived self-efficacy and social support. On the other hand, we found a weaker relationship between physical activity and explicit motivational strategies, such as planning, goal-setting and self-regulation. The results may indicate that the physical activity of our respondents is predominantly habitual. They probably do not focus on exercise itself but the physical activity may be a byproduct of other activities. This is supported also by the fact that the indicated physical activity of respondents stemmed mostly from everyday activities, such as walking, gardening or working around the house.