A Self-Determination Theory Approach for Exercise Motivation in Rural Dwelling Older Adults

This study aimed to (a) describe the factors that motivate rural-dwelling older adults to exercise, (b) determine how these factors differ across exercise group, and (c) identify factors that relate to continuous exercise. Participants included 160 structured exercisers (SE), unstructured exercisers (UE), and non-exercisers (NE) aged 65-96 living in rural Humboldt County who completed the Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 and Psychological Need Satisfaction (PNS) in Exercise Scale. Results revealed that enjoyment, appearance, fitness, health, and social engagement motives were significantly higher for exercisers (SE, UE) compared to NE. SE scored higher for competence (p = .020) and relatedness (p < .0001) but lower for autonomy (p = .002) compared to UE. These results suggest that motivation and PNS differ across exercise group among older rural-dwelling adults. Consequently, interventions for older rural-dwelling adults should emphasize the many fitness benefits of exercise through challenging yet enjoyable exercises with their peers.