Assessment of Self-Determined Motivation in Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Self-determined motivation is measured on numerous scales as a predictor of long-term exercise. Our study applied a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess associations between types of self-determined motivation in exercise with selected parameters of studies using Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaires (BREQs). Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we screened 244 studies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus against criteria and selected 43 articles for qualitative synthesis. Of those, 40 studies reporting mean scores and standard deviations of six regulations of BREQs, representing self-determined motivation types, were selected for meta-analysis. The pooled mean scores were the highest in intrinsic regulation at 4.00 (95%CI: 2.92–5.09), followed by identified, integrated, introjected, external, and motivation regulations at 3.65 (95%CI: 3.06–4.24), 3.11 (95%CI: 2.68–3.55), 2.21 (95%CI: 1.88–2.53), 1.42 (95%CI: 0.93–1.92), and 0.94 (95%CI: 0.67–1.12), respectively. Findings indicated significant associations between longer exercise duration and introjected (β = 0.014, p = 0.027) and identified (β = 0.014, p = 0.021) regulations. An inverse relationship was found with a higher female participation rate (β=-0.047, p=0.042), while exercise settings in sports and fitness centers exhibited a stronger association with intrinsic motivations (β=2.700, p=0.039). No significant differences were observed among the versions of BREQs in measuring self-determined motivation. This investigation of context invariance utilizing the particular validated scale contributes to furthering comprehension of the instrument in sports and fitness settings. Additionally, it is essential to take into account sex and the exercise environment concerning self-determined motivation when predicting long-term exercise adherence.