Résumé
Among emerging adults (ages 18-25), many individuals fail to meet physical activity guidelines, and the social environments of public fitness facilities (PFFs) may significantly influence their engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore the strength and direction of the relationships between personal and environmental factors with one’s use of a PFF. A sample of 450 emerging adults (285 women, 173 men, 9 other) responded to an online survey including demographics, self-efficacy, social physique anxiety, body image, motivations, and perceptions of environmental factors. Three path analyses were conducted using Mplus, examining how personal and environmental factors predicted engagement in general, strength, and cardio zones of PFFs. Results revealed that a range of factors collectively contributed to the models and influenced exercise engagement across general, strength, and cardio zones (R² = .32 - .47) with coping (β = .16; p < .000), scheduling (β = .30; p < .000), and task self-efficacy (β = .14; p = .005) emerging as the strongest correlates. In contrast, body image factors such as social physique anxiety and discrepancies between perceived and ideal fat or muscle mass were not significant associated with facility use. However, environmental factors such as others lifting heavy weights (β = -.17; p =.017) and experiencing unwanted attention (β = -.15; p = .033) negatively influenced exercise engagement, particularly within cardio-focused gym zones. Ultimately, fostering self-efficacy while minimizing negative social pressures may be key to addressing the psychosocial dynamics within PFFs, and supporting sustained exercise engagement in emerging adults.
