Gender differences in pathways influencing leisure time physical activity: A structural equation analysis

Growing interest in exploring pathways that explain the relationship between various influences on physical activity might help in explaining the complexity of this behavior. This study attempts to identify pathways that interact between the physical and social environment and leisure-time physical activity and identify gender differences in these pathways.

A survey was conducted in the Kottayam district of Kerala in India from July 2018-December 2019 to examine direct and indirect pathways of various factors that impact leisure-time physical activity. 467 adults in the age group of 18-65 years, was enquired about various individual and environmental factors that affect their physical activity levels. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the relationship among different variables.

The study found that there was a significant indirect effect of intrapersonal and environmental influences in the pathways that affected leisure-time physical activity. Among men, there was a significant association between self-efficacy and motivation and environmental influences (environmental factors, p = 0.019; body-related motivation p = 0.012, motivation for social motives reasons, p = 0.005); however, among women, environmental factors influence only through extrinsic motives related to body image and appearance (environmental factors, p = 0.009, motivation for appearance, p = 0.05).

The study concludes that although intrapersonal factors like self-efficacy and extrinsic motives like health and fitness are salient predictors of physical activity, environmental factors play a supportive role in enhancing engagement in leisure time activity. Future interventions should be tailored to meet gender-specific interests to promote regular physical activity among adults.