Older adults' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation toward physical activity.

OBJECTIVES: To examine how motives discriminate 3 physical activity levels of inactive, active, and sustained maintainers. METHODS: Six hundred forty-five adults (M age = 63.8) completed stage-of-change and Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI-2) scales. Exploratory factor analysis established psychometric properties of the EMI-2 suitable for older adults. RESULTS: Six factors emerged in the EMI-2: health and fitness, social/emotional benefits, weight management, stress management, enjoyment, and appearance. Enjoyment contributed most to differentiating activity levels. Moderators of age and gender were delineated. CONCLUSIONS: Intrinsic motivation and self-determined extrinsic motivation distinguish older adults' activity levels.