Explaining the age‐moderation effects in the relation between immediate benefits and physical activity: A mediated moderation analysis

TL;DR

Older adults are more motivated by immediate benefits of physical activity due to a limited future-time perspective, but younger adults show a stronger direct link between these benefits and activity.

Contribution

The study introduces a mediated moderation model linking age, future-time perspective, and immediate benefits to physical activity.

Findings

Older adults perceive future time as limited, making immediate benefits more predictive of physical activity.

The mediated moderation effect via future-time perspective was significant, but not via health consciousness.

Younger adults showed a stronger direct relationship between immediate benefits and physical activity.

Abstract

Older adults are the least physically active age segment. Understanding age‐related determinants of physical activity remains a priority. While distal benefits of physical activity (PA) are well reported, immediate benefits can also enhance PA. Older adults, perceiving future time as more limited, may find immediate benefits more motivating. In addition, older adults are more health‐conscious and may find PA benefits consistent with their belief system.

This study examined whether increased age was associated with a shortened future‐time perspective and increased health consciousness, which strengthened the association between immediate benefits and subsequent PA.

In a prospective survey, 241 older and 180 younger adults reported their perceived importance of immediate PA benefits, future‐time perspective and health consciousness at baseline and reported their past 7‐day PA at a one‐week follow‐up.

The total mediated moderation effect was significant, b = .05 (95% bias‐corrected CI: .01, .10). Specifically, the mediated moderation effects of future‐time perspective was significant, b = .02 (.002, .06) but that of health consciousness was not, b = .03 (−.01, .06). Surprisingly, the direct age moderation was significant and negative, b = −.16 (−.27, −.05), indicating the relation between immediate benefits and PA was stronger among younger adults.

As expected, older adults perceived future time as more limited, and hence, immediate benefits were more predictive of PA.

The findings support the time perspective concordance hypothesis and suggest that younger adults may find immediate benefits motivating for very different reasons that require further investigation.

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