1563-P: External Motivation, Restlessness with Inactivity, and Enjoyment: Examining Associations with Physical Activity in El Banco Por Salud

Introduction and Objective: Despite strong evidence that regular physical activity improves glycemic control and metabolic health, most adults remain insufficiently active. Understanding motivational pathways that support sustained physical activity is critical for effective clinical interventions. Guided by Self-Determination Theory, this study examined whether external motivation relates to physical activity indirectly through psychological responses to inactivity, including restlessness, and exercise enjoyment in Latino adults. Methods: This study included Latino adults from El Banco por Salud (N=2,239). Physical activity was quantified as MET-minutes/week derived from self-reported activity frequency. External motivation, restlessness, and exercise enjoyment were assessed using 5-point Likert scales adapted from the BREQ-2. Structural equation modeling evaluated direct and indirect associations among variables, adjusting for age, sex, and BMI. Results: Participants had a mean age of 52.1±14.4 years and BMI of 32.4±7.2 kg/m2; 67.3% were female, and 79.9% reported low physical activity (<600 MET-min/week). External motivation was associated with greater restlessness (β=0.191, p<0.001) and modestly with exercise enjoyment (β=0.072, p<0.001). Restlessness was strongly associated with enjoyment (β=0.476, p<0.001). Both enjoyment (β=0.248, p<0.001) and restlessness (β=0.162, p<0.001) were positively associated with physical activity. External motivation was not directly associated with physical activity (β=0.037, p=0.090) but demonstrated significant indirect effects through restlessness and enjoyment (total indirect β=0.071, p<0.001), explaining 17.9% of the variance in physical activity. Conclusion: External motivation was not directly associated with physical activity but showed significant associations through restlessness and enjoyment. These findings suggest that enjoyment and restlessness may play an important role in physical activity behavior. Disclosure S. Stevens: None. N. Fatima: None. Y. Klimentidis: None. O.D. Parra: None. L.F. Soltani: None. L.J. Mandarino: None. D.K. Coletta: None.