A moderated mediation analysis of children’s physical activity enjoyment

Grounded in expectancy value theory (EVT), a moderated mediation model predicting children’s physical activity (PA) enjoyment was tested. Ability beliefs and subjective task value were initially investigated as mediating the relationship between social support from friends and PA enjoyment. It was hypothesized that children play an active role in this socialization process with support seeking self-efficacy moderating the mediated relationships. Findings revealed PA social support from friends and PA enjoyment was mediated by PA ability beliefs, but this mediated relationship was conditional on children having average-to-high levels of support seeking self-efficacy. The mediated relationship between PA social support from friends and PA enjoyment through subjective task value was not moderated by support seeking self-efficacy. Results support the importance of instilling confidence in children to seek out PA support in order to maximize opportunities for PA enjoyment and suggest pathways may be more complex than originally posited in EVT.