Fear of COVID-19 changes the motivation for physical activity participation: Polish-Chinese comparisons

COVID-19 has brought people many negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety about the epidemic. However, when people in different countries face the COVID-19 epidemic, the impact is also different due to different cultural and sports habits. Therefore, this study compares China and Poland's sports motivations in the face of COVID-19 anxiety to find out the cultural differences behind them.

In the study were N = 674 participants (female n = 407, male n = 260, other n = 4). Their average age was M = 29.86, SD = 11.03. There were n = 381 participants in the Chinese sample, and n = 293 in Polish. The scales used for the purpose of the study were the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives (IPAO) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS).

The study results showed that the increased level of COVID-19 anxiety changed selected motives for physical activity, and different changes of motives characterized women and men as well as people of different ages. As predicted in the study model, culture was the moderator of the shifts of the selected motives.

The understanding of what motivates individuals to participate in sport seems to have significant value, especially for health practitioners and researchers to design appropriate interventions and programs to increase activity.