For some time, researchers have been inter-ested in motives for participation as well as how to promote adherence to physical activity. The need to continue research along this line is particularly important in this day and age because of startling trends of physi-cal inactivity and resulting health risks and lower quality of life factors. On the eve of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in At-lanta, Georgia, the US. Surgeon General (1996) released a report which provided a summary of the evidence supporting the importance of physical activity. Some of the highlights in the report pertaining to ado-lescents and youth included: only about 50% of US. young people (ages 12-21) regularly participate in vigorous physical activity; 25% of young people do not participate in any vigorous physical activity; inactivity with re-spect to light or moderate physical activity is higher among females than males and among black females than white females; participation in all types of physical activity declines strikingly as age or grade in school increases; and, only 19% of all high school students reported being physically active for 20 minutes or more in daily physical education classes. Similar inactivity patterns have also been reported in Canada where it is estimated that 4070 of children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular dis-ease as a result of physical inactivity. Cana—dian children’s participation in physical ac-tivity has decreased 40% compared to james L. Mandigo and Linda P. Thompson are members of the Faculty of Physical Education 8c Recreation at the University of Alberta.