Abstract

MAZO, Giovana Zarpellon; MEURER, Simone Teresinha  and  BENEDETTI, Tânia Rosane Bertoldo. Elders' motivation for being commited to a physical exercises program. Psicol. Am. Lat. [online]. 2009, n.18, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1870-350X.

Considering the importance of the adoption and the maintenance of an active lifestyle among the elder people, it is evidenced the needs of broadening the knowledge in relation to the motivation factors to the physical activities in this group. The present paper aimed at analyzing the factors and motivational indexes for the adoption of physical exercises by elder people in a program. 42 elder people participated in a program of physical exercises. It was utilized the Motivation Inventory for the regular practice of physical activities. The motivation factors evidenced by the elder people were the health, the pleasure for the practice and sociability, classified as being of high or medium motivation. The highlighted motivational factors can be classified like either of intrinsic motivation or of extrinsic integrative motivation, representing autonomous behaviors in relation to the physical exercises practice. Thus, the study is an important advance in the understanding of the motivation of elder people for the insertion in physical exercises program by means of the theory of self-determination.

Keywords : Motivation; Physical exercises; Elder people.