Behavioural and Motivational Determinants Related to Health in Sports Sciences: The Case of Indonesia and Burundi

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare motivation, physical activity and self-reported lifestyle-related items between sport science students in two countries, Indonesia and Burundi. This study used a cross-sectional comparative study design with a total of 338 university students (Indonesian students, n=169; Burundian students, n=169). Motivation was measured using the Sport Motivation Scale II (SMS-II), while physical activity and self-reported lifestyle-related items (diet, sleep, alcohol, smoking) were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare between the groups, with the Bonferroni correction applied to control for multiple comparisons. Effect size was calculated using Cohen's d, while Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships among the variables. ANCOVA was used to control differences in demographics. The results showed that Indonesian students scored significantly higher on all motivation subscales, including intrinsic motivation (d=2.70) and amotivation(d=1.10) compared to Burundian students. However, current physical activity levels were reported by the Burundian students as being higher than those reported by Indonesian students at that same time point (0.66), while pre-university rates were reported as being higher for Indonesian students (2.77). Differences in lifestyle demonstrated that Indonesian students report greater diet quality than Burundian students (1.33) but report a higher rate of smoking than Burundian Students (0.42) and poorer sleep quality (0.87). Burundian students reported a higher quality of sleep than Indonesian students, had a higher level of water consumption than Indonesian students (0.32), and were more likely to use alcohol than Indonesian students (1.39). Overall, motivational processes and lifestyle behaviors are influenced by socioeconomic factors, availability of institutionally provided resources, and cultural context; thus, the relationship between motivation and behavior is context specific. To effectively implement health promotion strategies for university students, it is crucial to consider the varying realities in which students from these two countries find themselves, thus emphasizing the need to utilize a context-specific approach.