Self-Efficacy for Exercise Influences Quality of Life

Purpose: Assessing the influence self-efficacy (motivation) for exercise had on both perceived physical and mental health (aka; quality of life) in college students. Methods: College/university students (\u3e18 years) from any institution were recruited to participate in an online research study. The students were asked to volunteer in a cross-sectional Qualtrics survey sent through different forms of communication; flyers, announcements, and an electronic email. Participants were asked to answer a series of questions; however, for this particular study, the main focus was perceived physical and mental health measured with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health-Related Quality of Life (CDC HRQOL 4) scale and self-efficacy for exercise (SEE). The CDC HRQOL 4, is a validated measure with 4 questions using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from excellent (scored=1) to poor (score=5). The SEE, is a validated and reliable measure with 9 questions using a 10-point Likert scale, not confident (score=0) to very confident (score=10). Results: College/university students (N=87, age 24.0 +/- 7.1 years) volunteered to participate in the cross-sectional Qualtrics survey. SEE was significantly related to the QOL of college students (rho -.246, P= 0.022) found. Conclusion: College students with lower motivation to engage in physical activity had lower QOL. Colleges and universities may want to consider one\u27s motivation to exercise in order to maintain the perceived physical and mental health of their students