Factors motivating participation in physical activity in students of Warsaw Univeristy by gender

Background
Physical activity is the primary factor in maintaining health and fitness. The minimal amount of physical activity per week is about 150 minutes of moderate activity. There are also many different motivation factors for activity, depending on various characteristics, for example, gender. The following article aims to prove how far gender can differentiate the motivation factor determining the amount of students’ physical activity.

Material and methods
The study was carried out in 2016 in a group of 694 students of Warsaw University. The tool used to conduct the research was a proprietary questionnaire.

Results
The study showed that there are distinct differences between women and men. Firstly, the study allows for stating that students demonstrate different attitudes towards recreational activity. The second important outcome shows that intrinsic motivation is stronger in female students, while extrinsic factors play an essential role in males.

Conclusions
The obtained results on physical activity of students of Warsaw University remain partially in line with those found in other universities. Fitness improvement, weight reduction and well-being are the main motivation factors affecting the amount of physical activity. Another factor pointed out by students, and strongly emphasised by women, is taking care of own figure and physical condition. The element of pleasure concomitant with physical activity also becomes one of the most significant motivating factors for students of Warsaw University. Furthermore, male students are more likely to be driven by competition and self-examination, while females are more into weight control.