Physical activity motives and self-efficacy to overcome physical activity barriers in first-year undergraduates: Do they differ based on physical activity levels?

Physical activity (PA) declines during the transition to university. Identifying contributing factors is imperative. Participants were first-year undergraduate students ( = 283). Participants completed validated surveys. Participants were categorized as meeting PA guidelines or not meeting PA guidelines. MANCOVA's with Bonferroni correction and Kruskal Wallis tests examined differences in PA motives and self-efficacy to overcome PA barriers across PA groups. Significant multivariate effects were observed across PA groups for PA motives and self-efficacy. Univariate analyses revealed students meeting PA guidelines reported significantly higher PA motives of fitness/health management, appearance/weight management, and stress/mood management compared to students not meeting PA guidelines. Students meeting PA guidelines reported significantly higher self-efficacy for all PA barriers compared to students not meeting PA guidelines. Universities should prioritize education about the physical and psychological benefits of PA and teach first-year students behavioral skills to increase PA motivation, self-efficacy, and PA behavior.