The Relationship Between Personal Values and Leisure‐Time Exercise: A Three‐Wave Study

To gain more insight into why adolescents exercise, based on Schwartz's personal values model and self-determination theory, this study examined whether personal values affect leisure-time exercise behavior and their underlying mechanisms. Five hundred twenty-two participants (193 Females and 329 Males; M_age = 19.32, SD = 1.02) in China were included. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the mediating and moderating effect. The results indicated that security-personal can predict leisure-time exercise, identified regulation, and exercise intention can mediate this relationship. Achievement can predict leisure-time exercise, introjected regulation and exercise intention can mediate this relationship, and emotional social support for exercise can moderate the relationship between achievement and introjected motivation. Hedonism can predict leisure-time exercise, intrinsic motivation and exercise intention can mediate this relationship. Conformity-interpersonal is not related to leisure-time exercise.