Predictive role of exercise motivational determinants for objectively measured physical activity from grade six to upper secondary or vocational school – a three year follow-up study

The aim of the study is to undertake a longitudinal analysis of changes in the physical activity (PA) patterns and associated motivational determinants of a sample of 542 adolescents (246 girls and 296 boys) from Sotkamo across the time period of 2010–2012. According to the recommendations of health experts, all primary school aged children should be physically active for at least two hours, and secondary school students at least one and a half hours daily. Recent studies show that 16–35% of Finnish 12-18 year-old boys and 17–41% of girls fail to achieve this recommendation. Previous international reports have also shown that the number of physically active children and adolescents has decreased during the last decade. Therefore, all efforts to promote children’s and adolescents’ physical activity are of great value. This presumption is supported by current research findings which have shown that childhood patterns of physical activity are maintained into adulthood. Physical activity is always a result of cognitive processes, in which social-cognitive factors, such as perceived competence, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are associated with individual characteristics of participation in PA regarding attitudes towards physical activity. Based on these theoretical models, social cognitive factors appear as key determinants in the adoption process of PA.