Physical activity in Indonesian University students: the contradictory roles of dispositional mindfulness and self-control.

Physical inactivity is now identified as one of the major risk factors for global mortality, including in Indonesia. Past research in Western settings have demonstrated the efficacy of self-determined or autonomous forms of motivation in predicting health-related behaviours, and that association between these variables could possibly be moderated by individual differences in mindfulness. In terms of mindfulness, individuals from different cultures may vary in their familiarity and acceptance of mindfulness in daily life. Moreover, the ways though which individuals exhibit qualities of mindfulness are often intertwined with their capacity for self-control. In this correlational study utilizing cloud-based online survey, samples of Indonesian undergraduates (N = 411, mean age = 20.202, SD = 1.406) completed self-report measures of trait mindfulness, trait self-control, autonomous motivation, and physical activity. Bootstrap multiple regression analysis indicated that association between autonomous motivation and physical activity is strengthened by trait self-control (p = .017), but conversely, weakened by trait mindfulness (p = .024). Cultural perspective may help explain the dynamics of mindfulness, self-control, autonomous motivation, and physical activity.

Editor's Choice: Consistency tendency and the theory of planned behavior: a randomized controlled crossover trial in a physical activity context.

Objective: This study examined the effects of consistency tendency on the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in relation to physical activity behavior.Methods: In this randomized controlled cross-over trial, we recruited 770 undergraduate students from Indonesia who were randomly assigned into two groups. Participants completed physical activity versions of TPB measures at T1 (baseline) and T2 (post 1 week), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire at T3 (post 1 month). At T1 and T2, the TPB questions were either presented in ensemble-order (i.e., consistency tendency supressed) or alternate-order (i.e., consistency tendency facilitated).Results: The parameter estimates of the model (CFI > .92, TLI > .90, SRMR < .08, RMSEA < .08) aligned with the tenets of TPB. As compared to ensemble-order, a TPB measured in alternate-order yielded stronger cross-sectional relationships, but this pattern did not appear in the prospective relationships in TPB (i.e., intention/perceived behavioral control and behavior).Conclusions: Consistency tendency inflated the factor correlations of cross-sectionally measured TPB variables, but the inflation was not observed in the prospective prediction of behavior. Health psychology questionnaires with items presented in ensemble order may represent a viable means of reducing the confounding effect of consistency tendency.