Active without thinking? Distinguishing between automatic responses as predictors of physical activity

Background. Regular physical activity (PA) improves both physical and mental health, yet most people are insufficiently active. Identifying modifiable determinants of PA will aid development of effective PA promotion interventions. It is well recognised that PA is at least partly regulated by automatic processes, which capture simple associations that trigger behaviour without conscious thought. Yet, few attempts have been made to identify which specific automatic processes are most influential, nor on the role of specific automatic processes on different forms of PA. This study explored relationships between three automaticity variables – i.e., automatic evaluations, approach-avoidance tendencies, and habit strength – and engagement in sport, leisure-based and total PA.Method. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A sample of 226 individuals (mean age 23.70 years) self-reported engagement in sport-based PA, leisure-time PA, and active travel. They also reported habit strength for sport and for leisure-time activity, and completed response-time tasks capturing automatic evaluations and approach tendencies towards PA. Correlation analyses were used to assess the magnitude of relationships between all variables, and regression analyses to model associations between automaticity variables and sport and leisure-time PA, respectively.Results. Automatic evaluations, approach tendencies, and sport habit strength all independently and positively predicted sport-based PA and total PA engagement. However, leisure-time PA was predicted only by leisure activity habit strength, not automatic evaluations or approach-avoidance. Leisure-time habit strength was the only predictor of a composite PA engagement measure combining total time in sport, leisure-time activity and active travel.Discussion. Our findings warrant replication using more rigorous methods. Nonetheless, they suggest that promoting positive automatic evaluations, approach tendencies and habit strength could encourage engagement in sport-based PA, whereas interventions to increase PA more generally might fruitfully emphasis PA habit formation.