Behavior change is more effective and lasting when patients are autonomously motivated. To examine this idea, we identified 184 independent data sets from studies that utilized self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) in health care and health promotion contexts. A meta-analysis evaluated relations between the SDT-based constructs of practitioner support for patient autonomy and patients’ experience of psychological need satisfaction, as well as relations between these SDT constructs and indices of mental and physical health. Results showed the expected relations among the SDT variables, as well as positive relations of psychological need satisfaction and autonomous motivation to beneficial health outcomes. Several variables (e.g., participants’ age, study design) were tested as potential moderators when effect sizes were heterogeneous. Finally, we used path analyses of the meta-analyzed correlations to test the interrelations among the SDT variables. Results suggested that SDT is a viable conceptual framework to study antecedents and outcomes of motivation for health-related behaviors.

The World Health Organization released new guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in November 2020. This commentary summarises these guidelines, including the new elements. An evaluation of the guidelines for each specific sub-population is provided. Finally, as the author group includes physical activity researchers from four continents, we provide recommendations on how to support the implementation of the new guidelines.

In this study, we examined the utility of self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002 Ryan, R. M. and Deci, E. L. 2002. “Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic dialectical perspective”. In Handbook of self-determination research, Edited by: Deci, E L and Ryan, R M . 3–33. Rochester, NY: The University of Rochester Press. [Google Scholar] ) as a framework for understanding the antecedents of athlete burnout in elite New Zealand rugby union players (n=133). Perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness (i.e. basic psychological needs) were hypothesized to be negatively related to burnout scores, while players classified as “high-burnouts” were predicted to report lower needs fulfilment than players with low burnout. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that relatedness was a low to moderate predictor of burnout, but players' competence and autonomy accounted for substantial portions of variance in two athlete burnout symptoms: reduced accomplishment and sport devaluation. The proportion of variance accounted for in the exhaustion dimension of athlete burnout was not substantive. Multivariate analysis of variance supported these results, as “high-burnout” players had lower competence and autonomy scores than athletes reporting low burnout symptoms. The two groups did not report significantly different relatedness scores. Implications of these results for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Physical activity (PA) is beneficial to people’s physical and psychological health. Physically active children are likely to become active adults; thus, active lifestyles should be promoted from childhood. Parents are crucial for shaping their children’s behaviors, but many lack the knowledge and skills to provide optimal support for PA. The “Active 1 + FUN” intervention was designed to enhance PA of the whole family, and improve parenting methods of both fathers and mothers. “Active 1 + FUN” is a family-based intervention designed using the tenets of self-determination theory. The intervention was designed to help parents support their children’s basic psychological needs for competence (by providing informational feedback and optimal challenges), autonomy (by exploring a variety of activities and reducing controlling behaviors), and relatedness (by increasing co-PA between parents and child). The intervention components include interactive workshops, activity sessions, physical activity homework, activity planning consultations, easy sports equipment, and online materials. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the intervention. A target sample of 204 Primary three to five students (8 to 11 years) and their parents will be randomly allocated to the experimental group or a wait-list control group. The experimental group will receive a ten-session intervention which spans approximately six months. The control group will receive intervention one year later. Children’s accelerometer-based leisure-time physical activity (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, at end of intervention period (6 months after baseline), and at follow-up (12 months after baseline). Qualitative interviews will be conducted to determine effective intervention components from the perspective of children and parents. We hypothesize that the intervention will increase parents’ and children’s activity behaviors and that children will experience higher levels of needs satisfaction with regard to physical activity participation. Physical activity interventions often target children only, but ones that also involve parents may be more beneficial. The “Active 1 + FUN” intervention will be organized and delivered by trained trainers. Consequently, this intervention could be scaled to a larger number of Hong Kong schools in the future and could impact a wider population of schoolchildren. ANZCTR ACTRN12618001524280 . Registered 11 September 2018.