The Role of Affective Experiences and Exercise Motivation as Predictors of Physical Activity Intentions Among Individuals With Overweight and Obesity

ABSTRACT Background Evidence suggests that affective experiences of exercise may underlie motivation for physical activity (PA) and PA itself. Affective experiences involve emotional responses, such as pleasure or displeasure related to PA. However, this affect‐motivation‐behavior‐relationship has not been sufficiently studied among individuals with overweight and obesity. Methods Participants ( N = 299) completed an online questionnaire. In this cross‐sectional quantitative study, differences in affective exercise experiences and motivation across BMI tertiles were examined using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Associations between BMI, affective factors, motivation, PA levels, and future PA intentions were explored using linear regression analyses. Results MANOVA revealed that individuals in the highest BMI tertile reported lower levels of pleasant affective experiences and less autonomous motivation related to PA. Linear regression analyses showed that pleasant affective exercise experiences related to pride/honor and attraction to PA, mastery exercise motive and lower BMI predicted higher PA intentions, accounting for 53% of the variance. Moreover, BMI moderated the relationship between attraction and PA and PA intentions, with a stronger association observed among individuals with higher BMI. Conclusions Overall, individuals with higher BMI reported less pleasant affective experiences and lower autonomous motivation, potentially contributing to lower PA.