An Explanatory Model of Sport Motivation, Physical Self-Concept and Anxiety as a Function of the Degree of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Future Physical Education Teachers

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 19;19(20):13547. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013547.

Abstract

The present research has the objectives of establishing the relationship between motivational climate towards sport, anxiety, and physical self-concept, and identifying the existing relationships between anxiety, motivational climate, and physical self-concept, broken down into (a) developing an explanatory model of the motivational climate towards sport and its relationship with anxiety and physical self-concept, and (b) contrasting the structural model by means of a multi-group analysis according to the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A quantitative, comparative, non-experimental (ex post facto), cross-sectional study was carried out with a total sample of 556 participants (23.06 ± 6.23). The instruments used were an ad hoc questionnaire and the Spanish versions of the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire 2, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Self-Concept Form-5, and the PREDIMED questionnaire. The data reveal that participants who show high adherence to the Mediterranean diet attain higher scores on physical self-concept and anxiety, as well as ego-climate. As a conclusion, it is observed that participants who show a high adherence to the Mediterranean diet show higher scores in physical self-concept and anxiety, as well as in all the variables that make up the ego-climate.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet; anxiety; physical education teachers; sport motivation.

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diet, Mediterranean*
  • Humans
  • Motivation
  • Physical Education and Training*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.