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Context and Physical Activity
an exercise setting; and completely alone.
Similarly, when participants were asked to
select their least preferred context, these
same four response options were offered.
As the results in Table 1 show, for females,
exercising with others outside of a structured
class setting was identified as their most preferred
context (29.5 per cent), followed
closely by exercising completely alone (28.8
per cent) and in a structured class (26.6 per
cent). Interestingly, female adults also identified
exercising in a structured class as their
least preferred context (51.8 per cent). For
males, two contexts were identified as most
preferred – exercising with others outside of
a structured class setting (38.8 per cent) and
exercising completely alone (38.8 per cent).
Male adults also identified exercising in a
structured class as their least preferred context
for aerobic activity (65.0 per cent).
University students
Burke, Carron and Eys (in press) conducted
a similar study using a sample (n = 601) of
undergraduate students (19–25 years). That
is, participants were asked to identify their
most and least preferred contexts for aerobic
activity from the same four response options
listed above. As the results in Table 2 show,
for females, exercising with others outside of
a structured class setting was the most preferred
context (39.8 per cent), and exercising
completely alone was the least preferred
(43.5 per cent). For males, exercising with
Table 1: Contexts most and least preferred by adults for engaging in aerobic physical activity
(adapted from Burke et al., 2005)
Percent of Percent of Percent of Percent of
females indicating females indicating males indicating males indicating
Context MOST preferred LEAST preferred MOST preferred LEAST preferred
Structured class 26.6 51.8 6.3 65.0
With others outside 29.5 10.8 38.8 6.3
of a structured class
On your own in an 15.1 10.8 16.3 6.3
exercise setting
Completely alone 28.8 26.6 38.8 22.5
Table 2: Contexts most and least preferred by university students for engaging in aerobic physical
activity (adapted from Burke et al., in press)
Percent of Percent of Percent of Percent of
females indicating females indicating males indicating males indicating
Context MOST preferred LEAST preferred MOST preferred LEAST preferred
Structured class 26.1 27.9 3.0 78.7
With others outside 39.8 13.3 54.8 1.6
of a structured class
On your own in an 24.6 15.3 21.8 4.8
exercise setting
Completely alone 9.5 43.5 20.4 14.9
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