Personality characteristics and exercise attitudes of exercising and nonexercising women

A two-group descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional research design was used in a study to describe the personality characteristics that distinguish: (a) exercising women from non-exercising women, (b) women who possessed favorable attitudes toward exercise from those who possessed unfavorable attitudes, and (c) both exercising and non-exercising women who possessed favorable attitudes toward exercise from their counterparts who possessed unfavorable attitudes. The conceptual framework for the study, the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Model, was constructed by the author. A non-probability sample of 124 women aged 20 to 40 completed the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (Cattell, Eber, and Tatsouka, 1970), the Demographic/Exercise Data Sheet, and Attitude Toward Exercise Inventory (ATEI). Data were treated and analyzed by descriptive statistics and stepwise discriminant analyses. Eight personality factors, C, E, Q1, F, B, H, I, and A, significantly discriminated between exercising and non-exercising women (p $\le$.05). Eight personality factors, G, M, B, N, Q1, Q3, H, and A, significantly discriminated between women who possessed favorable attitudes and those who possessed unfavorable attitudes toward exercise (p < .05). Six personality factors in exercising women, Q3, E, C, I, Q1, and A significantly discriminated on the basis of favorable/unfavorable attitude toward exercise (p < .05). Ten personality factors in non-exercising women, G, M, Q1, F, N, C, O, A, Q3, and B significantly discriminated on the basis of favorable/unfavorable attitude toward exercise (p < .05).