Investigation of the motivational factors that female zumba exercise participants to engage in recreational exercise

This study compares factors motivating adult female Zumba exercise participants based on age, education level, income level, marital status, and weekly Zumba exercise participation time. The research involved 137 individuals aged 18 and over who participated in Zumba activities at sports centers. The study utilized a Personal Information Form and Exercise Motivation Survey, covering sub-dimensions such as Health, Competition, Body Shape / Appearance, Social and Entertainment, and Skill Development. The data collection process involved visiting sports centers, obtaining necessary permissions, informing participants about the study, and using voluntary data collection tools. The data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests due to its non-normal distribution. According to the research findings, the motivation levels of women participating in Zumba exercise differed in the Health sub-dimension based on their age groups, in the Health, Competition, Body Shape/Appearance, and Social and Entertainment sub-dimensions based on their education level, in the Competition sub-dimension based on their marital status, and in the Social and Entertainment sub-dimension based on the weekly Zumba exercise participation. Health and sports policymakers should consider positive and negative factors that motivate female participants to exercise and take precautions against those that prevent them from being motivated to exercise.