THE PROFILING OF UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA STUDENTS ACCORDING 
TO THEIR MOTIVES FOR EXERCISE PARTICIPATION
Katja CERAR1, Miran KONDRIČ2*, Joško SINDIK3
1University of Ljubljana, Kongresni trg 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
2University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Gortanova 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
3Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Received: Avg 15, 2015
Accepted: Sep 14, 2016
Original scientific article
Introduction. The main research objective is the analysis of the grouping of the students of the University 
of Ljubljana, with respect to the intensity of different types of exercise participation motives, their gender, 
discipline and year of study, level of physical activity, status of physical education class, organization of physical 
activities during study, and place of residence. 
Methods. Data were collected using personal data sheets during enrolling students at the University of 
Ljubljana. Students completed The Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI-2), with additional data about socio-
demographic parameters. 
Results. The results reveal that the students could be grouped in three distinctive clusters, which can be very 
clearly explained in terms of the prevalence of exercise participation motives in general. The students grouped 
in the first cluster have the lowest average values (means) in all exercise participation motives. The students 
grouped in the second cluster have the profile with moderate means in all exercise participation motives, while 
the students grouped in the third cluster have the profile with the highest means in all exercise participation 
motives. 
Conclusion. The results indicate overall higher motivation for physical activity in men. All the sub-samples are 
different in their relevant features used in clustering (e.g., male students are dominant in life sciences, etc.), 
which provide a guide both for the explanation of the results obtained and for practical implications. 
Uvod. Glavni cilj raziskave je analiza razvrstitve udeležencev (študentov Univerze v Ljubljani) v skupine glede 
na intenzivnost njihovih motivov za sodelovanje pri športni vadbi na podlagi spola, vrste študija, letnika 
študija, stopnje telesne dejavnosti,  statusa predmeta športne vzgoje med študijem, organizacije športnih 
dejavnosti med študijem in kraja bivališča.
Metode. Podatki so bili zbrani na podlagi obrazcev, ki so vključevali osebne podatke. Le-ti so bili izpolnjeni 
ob študentovem vpisu na Univerzo v Ljubljani. Študenti so izpolnili vprašalnik o motivih za vadbo “Exercise 
Motivations Inventory” (EMI-2) z dodatnimi vprašanji, ki so obsegala 12 socio-demografskih parametrov.
Rezultati. Rezultati kažejo, da lahko študente razvrstimo v tri skupine, ki jih je mogoče zelo jasno ločiti glede 
na prevladujoč motiv za sodelovanje pri vadbi na splošno (močno, srednje in šibko izraženi motivi). Študenti, 
uvrščeni v prvo skupino, imajo najnižje povprečne vrednosti pri vseh motivih za vadbo. Študenti, uvrščeni 
v drugo skupino, imajo profil s srednjimi vrednostmi, medtem ko imajo študenti, uvrščeni v tretjo skupino, 
najvišje motive za vadbo.
Zaključek. Rezultati v splošnem kažejo na večjo skupno motivacijo fantov za športno dejavnost. Vendar pa 
se vsi pod-vzorci statistično razlikujejo glede na osebnostne lastnosti, ki smo jih uporabili pri razvrščanju v 
skupine (npr. moški študenti prevladujejo v naravoslovnih znanostih itn.). Ta podatek nas usmerja pri razlagi 
rezultatov in tudi pri njihovi praktični uporabi.
ABSTRACT
Keywords: 
cluster analysis, 
motivation, university 
students, Slovenia
IZVLEČEK
Ključne besede: 
analiza skupin, 
motivacija, študenti, 
Slovenija
*Corresponding author: Tel: ++ 386 1 520 77 37; E-mail: miran.kondric@fsp.uni-lj.si
10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
PROFILIRANJE ŠTUDENTOV UNIVERZE V LJUBLJANI GLEDE NA NJIHOV 
MOTIV ZA SODELOVANJE PRI ŠPORTNI VADBI
Cerar K, Kondrič M, Sindik J. The profiling of University of Ljubljana students according to their motives for exercise participation. Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
107
© Nacionalni inštitut za javno zdravje, Slovenija. 
1  INTRODUCTION
Sports activity, regularly practiced, protects people 
against diseases and contributes to a better quality of life 
in the lifespan. In the curriculum of Physical Education 
(PE), children and young people could learn about the 
importance of movement, sport, fitness activities and a 
healthy lifestyle (1, 2). The course PE in higher education 
in Slovenia differs from the conceptions of those courses 
in primary and secondary schools, where PE is more clear 
defined in belonging curriculums.
The basic motives are supposed to be unconscious and 
they are hard to be recognized by the individual (3). Thus, 
weak motivation or lack of motivation appear when the 
individual is unaware of what drives and motivates him/
her (4, 5). The lack of enjoyment in sports activities in 
an individual is often influenced by selecting activities 
unsystematically, following trends and without setting 
goals (6).
The motivational factors of each individual in physical 
education and organized sports activities should be 
strengthened, in order to ensure that the effects of 
these activities would be transferred to a student’s 
life after graduation (7). However, the involvement in 
a sports activity during studies and later depends both 
on an individual’s motivational structure (interests, 
attitudes, motives), and on the available conditions and 
opportunities in a certain environment (8).
The main motivational factors for students to engage 
in sports activities are health pressures, enjoyment, 
physical fitness, stress management and well-being (9-
13). Gender differences in the motives for participating 
in sports activities are evident in several studies. Males 
and females differ in motives for participating in certain 
sports activities, having different interests in sport, 
training methods and unorganized sports activities (14). 
Gender differences are obvious in five motivational 
factors (affiliation, competition, weight management, 
rehabilitation and social recognition) (10). Primary 
factors which motivate men’s participation in sport are 
competition, social interaction and health, while for 
women, the most important motives are: social contacts, 
competition and health (15). Men are more often motivated 
by internal factors (power, competition, challenge, 
fitness), while women are more frequently motivated by 
external factors (weight management, appearance) (16, 
17). In all age groups, men show higher levels of general 
motivation and participation in sports than women do. For 
both genders, negative factors observed for non-engaging 
in sports activities are the lack of interest and limited 
time (15).
A current offer of sports activities at the University 
comprises of different sets of programmes, which differ in 
scope and in terms of quality, standards and purpose. The 
offer includes programmes of the Centre for University 
Sports (CUS), elective subjects of some members at 
the University of Ljubljana, programmes of competitive 
sports that take place under the auspices of the Sports 
Association of the University of Ljubljana (ŠZUL) and 
the Slovenian University Sports Association (SUSA), 
and programmes carried out under the auspices of the 
Institute for student sports at the Student Organisation of 
the University of Ljubljana (SOU sport). However, there 
is a strong negative trend in the proportion of students 
enrolled in regularly organized sports activities, since 
the start of the Bologna reform and the reorganization of 
sports activities at the University of Ljubljana. In other 
words, the abolition of compulsory Physical Education and 
the introduction of extracurricular sports activities at the 
University of Ljubljana have resulted in the drop in the 
share of students involved in organized sports activities 
on a regular basis (18). The University of Ljubljana offers 
organized sport activities that promote participation and 
socialization between groups and individuals, enhance 
physical fitness, and foster a spirit of fair play and 
sportsmanship. Each year, the content of activities varies 
according to the interests of students. 
In this study, Slovenian high school and university 
students are grouped according to the prevalence of their 
motives in exercise participation, in relation to several 
socio-demographic features, engagement in physical 
activities, and relevant factors linked with institutional 
forms of organizing students’ physical exercise. This 
taxonomisation should provide a platform for considering 
differences between educational programmes, adjusted 
to the characteristics of participants in certain taxa.
The profiling of students according to their motives 
for exercise participation is in line with their own and 
institutional efforts to enhance them. The insight in those 
profiles should provide the guidelines for a better and 
individually adjusted engagement of students in various 
physical exercise activities. The scope of this article is to 
offer a comprehensive description of those profiles.
The goal of this study is the analysis of the grouping of 
the participants according to the intensity of different 
types of motives for exercise participation, in relation to 
their gender, discipline of study, year of study, level of 
physical activity, status of physical education class during 
study, and organization of physical activities during study. 
The initial hypothesis was that students could be clearly 
categorized into several clusters (characteristic profiles) 
in terms of motives for exercise participation, according 
to abovementioned characteristics.
10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
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10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
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2 METHODS
2.1 Participants 
The sample of participants included 5,271 students of the 
University of Ljubljana, which represents a 9.8 percent 
sample of the University of Ljubljana students in the 
2010/2011 academic year. The age of the participants 
was between 19 and 42 years. Most students (25.6%) were 
enrolled in the first year of study. The data were collected 
by questionnaires distributed by e-mail to respondents. 
The data were collected on the basis of personal data 
sheets, completed when students were enrolling at the 
University of Ljubljana.
2.2 Procedure
We have disseminated questionnaires to 43,751 students 
of the University of Ljubljana (81.6% of all enrolled 
students). According to the instructions provided, 5,486 
of them returned the questionnaires. In the study we 
considered the responses of 5,271 students – 2,033 male 
(38.5%) and 3,238 females (61.5%). Improperly completed 
questionnaires (215) were excluded from further 
processing. An email open rate of 15-20% is considered 
‘good’, because we have expected the percentage of 
participants who respond to the survey to be even less 
than that. In other words, we emphasized that the 
participation in this research is voluntarily, and that drop 
out is acceptable even after a participant starts to fill in 
the questionnaire. 
2.3 Instruments
In the study, we use the EMI-2 questionnaire (Exercise 
Motivations Inventory; Markland and Hardy) (19), which 
is widely employed in several studies of motivation. The 
EMI-2 was developed for assessing participation motives, 
in order to examine issues, such as the influence of 
motives on exercise participation, their influence on the 
choice of activities undertaken, how affective responses 
to exercise may be influenced by reasons for exercising, 
and how involvement in sports activities might have a 
reciprocal influence on participation motives. The authors 
developed an instrument to examine questions concerning 
functional significance of exercise motives from the 
perspective of Deci and Ryan’s (20) self-determination 
theory. The EMI-2 comprises of 51 items that describe 
motives for participating in sports activities. A six-point 
Likert scale was used, in range from 0 (‘not true at all’) to 
6 (‘very true’). Moreover, we added 10 socio-demographic 
parameters to the EMI-2 (faculty, year of study, gender, 
age, engagement in sports activities, etc.). Factors that 
represent all scales of EMI-2 explained together 69.4% of 
the total variance (19). 
2.4 Data Analysis 
The data were analysed with the IBM SPSS Statistics (20.0) 
software. The basic descriptive characteristics were 
calculated (mean, standard deviation, the frequency 
of answers). Then, basic metric characteristics of the 
measuring instruments were determined (reliability 
and factor validity). The internal consistency of the 12 
subscales was generally acceptable, with Cronbach’s 
alpha reliability coefficients ranging from 0.63 to 0.90, 
while test-retest reliability coefficients over a 4-5-week 
period were ranged from 0.59 to 0.88 (19). In our research, 
reliability type internal consistency for the entire EMI-2 
was 0.80, while the reliabilities for certain scales were: 
Stress Management (4 items; α=0.84); Revitalization (3 
items; α=0.84); Enjoyment (4 items; α=0.93); Challenge 
(4 items; α=0.81); Social Recognition (4 items; α=0.85); 
Affiliation (4 items; α=0.88); Competition (4 items; α=0.94); 
Health Pressures (4 items; α=0.58); Ill-Health Avoidance 
(3 items; α=0.86); Positive Health (3 items; α=0.87); 
Weight Management (4 items; α=0.87); Appearance (4 
items; α=0.93); Strength & Endurance (4 items; α=0.82); 
Nimbleness (3 items; α=0.83). Chi-square test is used to 
test the differences between students according to gender 
and discipline of study (life and social sciences), with 
all other relevant factors in research (label criteria for 
classification according to clusters obtained in research). 
K-means – i.e., non-hierarchical clustering method – is 
applied using quantitative (ratio-type) variables only, 
which represent types of exercise participation motives. 
Initial cluster centres are automatically determined, while 
three-cluster solution is estimated the most suitable. 
After clustering, with respect to the abovementioned 
quantitative variables (exercise participation motives), 
cases are classified in relation to: gender (male/female), 
discipline of study, year of study (1st, 2nd,…year), the 
level of physical activity (according to time used for 
physical activity, in the range from <30 minutes to >1000 
minutes), status of physical education class during study 
(the status of PE program at the faculties: YES/NO) and 
organization of physical activities during study (available 
programmes of activities: YES/NO).
3 RESULTS 
3.1 Differences in Socio-Demographic Characteristics
We analysed the differences among students according 
to two socio-demographic areas (gender and discipline of 
study).
According to the discipline of study (life/social sciences), 
more (n=2202, or 76%) female students are studying social 
sciences, while more (n=1341, or 56%) male students 
study life sciences (Chi square=581.95; df=1; p<0.001). 
More students in the first years of study are studying 
10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
110
social sciences (n=1761 or 61%) (Chi square=220.18; 
df=11; p<0.001). Students who are studying life sciences 
are more physically active (n=1316 or 55%) (Chi square= 
31.36; df=1; p<0.001). Students who are studying life 
sciences attended more classes of physical exercise 
(n=1442 or 61%) (Chi square=32.39; df=1; p<0.001), 
while students who are studying social sciences attended 
organised physical activities for longer periods of time 
(with median 360-420 minutes per week) (Chi square= 
27.88; df=11; p<0.01). Students who are studying life 
sciences and who have a stronger need for mandatory 
physical activities (n=1290, or 54%) (Chi square=7.77; 
df=1; p<0.01) spend longer periods of time participating 
in unorganised physical activities (with median 180-240 
minutes per week) (Chi square=50.11; df=11; p<0.01).
When analysing gender differences among students, 
according to the discipline of study (all faculties), the 
results revealed that more female students (n=2202, or 
76%) are engaged in social sciences (e.g., the Academy 
of music, the Academy of fine arts and design, the 
Biotechnical faculty, the Faculty of economics, the 
Faculty of architecture, the Faculty of social sciences, 
etc.) (Chi square=1419.34; df=22; p<0.001). Male students 
are prevalent at the Faculty of electrical engineering, the 
Faculty of civil and geodetic engineering, the Faculty of 
maritime studies and transport, the Faculty of computer 
and information science, and the Faculty of mechanical 
engineering (n=1341, or 56%). Female students are more 
often students (n=2367, or 74%) of lower years of study 
(Chi=36.66; df=11; p<0.001) and they are less physically 
active (n=1713, or 66%) during their studies than male 
students (Chi square=54.10; df=1; p<0.001). Male students 
attended more classes of physical exercise (n=1181, or 
58%) (Chi square=4.10; df=1; p<0.05) and spent longer 
periods of time in organised physical activities (with 
median 300-360 minutes per week) (Chi square=101.03; 
df=11; p<0.001). Male students with a greater need 
for mandatory physical activities (n=1097 or 54%) (Chi 
square=4.33; df=1; p<0.05)spent longer periods of time 
performing unorganised physical activities (with median 
180-240 minutes per week) (Chi square=215.01; df=11; 
p<0.001).
3.2 The Grouping of Students by their Motivations 
The results of cluster analyses reveal that the students 
could be grouped into three distinctive clusters, which 
can be very clearly explained in terms of the prevalence 
of motives for exercise participation in general, namely: 
strongly, moderately and weakly expressed motives (Table 
1). Students grouped in the first cluster have the lowest 
average values (means) in all exercise participation 
motives. The students grouped in the second cluster 
have the profile with moderate means in all exercise 
participation motives, while the students grouped in the 
third cluster have the profile with the highest means 
Table 1. Taxonomisation of Slovenian students’ motives for 
sport and exercise by gender (K-means clustering).
stress management
revitalisation
enjoyment
challenge
social recognition
affiliation
competition
health pressures
ill health avoidance
positive health
weight management
appearance
strength & endurance
nimbleness
Overall number of 
cases in each cluster
Males 
Females 
8.60
8.04
9.16
5.76
2.25
5.86
2.58
1.65
5.76
8.01
7.12
8.18
8.62
7.46
1084
432
652
2319
579
1740
1868
1022
846
15.19
12.77
15.94
11.84
4.31
8.93
3.11
2.81
10.34
12.96
12.88
14.99
15.09
11.97
16.56
13.40
17.88
15.98
11.77
14.49
13.34
4.80
10.86
13.27
13.21
15.68
16.86
12.85
Variables Clusters
3
strong 
motivation
2
moderate 
motivation
1
weak 
motivation
in all exercise participation motives (Table 1). The 
majority of students are classified into the second cluster 
(moderate motivation), while the minority of students 
are classified into the first cluster (weak motivation). 
Women are prevailing in the second cluster, while men 
are dominant in the third cluster (Table 1). Both male and 
female students are rarely represented in the first cluster. 
This grouping shows that male students in general have 
strongly emphasised all exercise participation motives, 
while both male and female students have moderately 
emphasised exercise participation motives (Table 1).
According to their discipline of study, the results indicate 
that students of life sciences are prevailing in the second 
(almost equally) and in the third cluster, while students of 
social sciences are dominant in the second cluster (Table 
2). Students of life and social sciences are very rarely 
represented in the first cluster. Students of life sciences 
in general have higher means in all exercise participation 
motives than students of social sciences, but all students 
are at least moderately physically active (Table 2). The 
most physically active students are found at the Faculty 
of economics, the Faculty of electrical engineering, the 
Faculty of civil and geodetic engineering, the Faculty of 
10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
Table 3.
Table 2.
Taxonomisation of Slovenian students’ motives for 
sport and exercise by the year of study (K-means 
clustering).
Taxonomisation of Slovenian students’ motives 
for sport and exercise by the discipline of study 
(K-means clustering).
1st year, 1st level
2nd year, 1st level
3rd year, 1st level
4th year, 1st level
5th year, 1st level
6th year, 1st level
1st year, 2nd level
2nd year, 2nd level
1st year, 3rd level
2nd year, 3rd level
3rd year, 3rd level
advanced university 
student
Academy of theatre, 
film, radio and 
television
Academy of music
Academy of fine arts 
and design
Biotechnical faculty
Faculty of economics
Faculty of architecture
Faculty of social 
sciences
Faculty of electrical 
engineering
Faculty of pharmacy
Faculty of civil and 
geodetic engineering
Faculty of chemistry 
and chemical 
technology
Faculty of 
mathematics and 
physics
Faculty of maritime 
studies and transport
Faculty of computer 
and information 
science
Faculty of social work 
Faculty of mechanical 
engineering
Faculty of sport
Faculty of 
administration
Faculty of arts
Faculty of medicine
Faculty of natural 
sciences and 
engineering 
Faculty of education
Faculty of health 
sciences
Overall number of 
cases in each cluster
Overall number of 
cases in each cluster
Life sciences
Social sciences
268
193
139
93
10
2
60
42
19
24
15
219
6
5
5
45
133
27
97
66
25
36
32
35
8
64
33
70
7
49
234
27
52
23
5
1084
1084
492
592
2319
2319
943
1376
1868
1868
942
926
467
356
314
218
39
18
159
98
40
48
33
529
4
9
23
100
339
65
244
83
92
72
62
67
21
75
52
92
38
111
495
115
81
61
18
476
321
299
136
15
6
102
83
21
26
30
353
3
1
6
73
354
36
125
147
50
95
68
74
16
84
10
168
105
97
185
71
57
40
3
Variables
Variables
Clusters
Clusters
3
3
strong 
motivation
strong 
motivation
2
2
moderate 
motivation
moderate 
motivation
1
1
weak 
motivation
weak 
motivation
chemistry and chemical technology (the third cluster), 
while only the students from the Academy of theatre, 
film, radio and television are dominant in the first cluster.
When analysing the grouping of participants according to 
their year of study, the results indicate that only students 
in the 1st year, on the 1st level are prevailing in the third 
cluster, while students from all other years of study are 
relatively and absolutely dominant in the second cluster 
(Table 3).
Students who do sports during their studies are prevailing 
in the third (and almost equally in the second) cluster, 
while students who do not do sports during their studies 
are dominant in the second cluster (Table 4). Students 
who have and those who do not have physical education 
classes during their studies are prevailing in the second 
cluster (but those who have physical education as a class 
have relatively more cases grouped in the third cluster). 
Students who have mandatory physical education classes 
are dominant in the third cluster, while those who do 
not have them are prevailing in the second cluster. Both 
students who have and those who do not have organised 
physical activities during their studies are prevailing in 
the second cluster (but those who do not have organised 
physical activities have fewer cases grouped in the third 
cluster).
111
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112
4 DISCUSSION
The main finding of the research is the fact that students 
from Slovenian universities could be grouped into three 
distinctive clusters, which can be explained in terms 
of the prevalence of motives for exercise participation 
in general, namely: Strongly, moderately and weakly 
expressed motives for physical exercise. The minority of 
students have weak motivation (the first cluster), while 
the majority of students have moderate motivation 
(grouped in the second cluster). In the third cluster (the 
strongest all exercise participation motives) are grouped 
students who are mostly male, students of life sciences, 
very physically active during their studies and who have 
mandatory physical education classes during the studies. 
Stronger motivation in males is argued in the majority 
of previous studies (21). However, there are just a few 
opposite results: Women showed stronger motivation for 
participation in sports activities, comparing to men in the 
study of Gill et al. (22), while in some studies, gender 
appears as non-important for the type of motivation in 
males and females (23). The analysis of the differences in 
their important socio-demographic characteristics (gender 
and the discipline of study) revealed that students who 
study social sciences are more often females, students 
from lower years of study, who are less physically active, 
have fewer classes of physical exercise, and lower need 
for mandatory physical activity. Students who study life 
sciences showed the opposite trend. Gender differences 
are statistically significant in the discipline of study (the 
choice of universities). Relatively more female students 
are in lower years of the study, less physically active, 
have less classes of physical exercise, attend organised 
and unorganised physical activities for shorter periods of 
time, and demonstrate lower need for mandatory physical 
activity. Trends in male students for same variables are 
just opposite. The results of grouping of the participants 
could be mostly explained in terms of a higher level of 
general motivation and a higher level of participation in 
sports activities in men than in women, while the lack of 
interest in sports compared to other activities that request 
less effort and time could be reasons for non-engaging in 
sports activities(15). For example, younger generations 
probably prefer other types of fun and spending free time 
differently. On the other hand, women can be described 
as expressive, socially sensitive, and genuinely interested 
in other people (24, 25); they demonstrated greater 
perceptiveness, empathy, and adaptability than men (26), 
showing higher social and emotional intelligence (27). 
This could be reflected in reported higher motivation in 
women to stay in good shape than men (28), and women 
also prefer team sports to individual ones (29).
In fact, the analysis of the differences in both socio-
demographic characteristics (gender and the discipline of 
study) indicated that the interaction between gender and 
higher (in men) or lower (in women) interest in physical 
activity in general, is also reflected in the choice of study 
(men more often choose life sciences, women social 
sciences). The most reasonable explanation could be that 
male students have higher level of general motivation 
and higher level of participation in sports activities than 
female students (30). However, the intensity of certain 
types of motivational factors depends on gender, the 
availability of physical exercise (i.e., specific programmes 
at certain universities), types of sports, and the level 
of sport engagement (in terms of sports excellence). 
In other words, there are differences in motivational 
factors between athletes who participate in competitive 
sports and those participating in all types of sports (31). 
The results of several studies reflect gender differences 
in the motives for participating in sports activities, 
found in motives for participating in certain sports 
activities, interest in sports, training methods (14), in 
five motivational factors (10, 15), internal factors and 
external factors (16, 17, 32). Hence, stimulating the 
students of social studies to be more engaged in sports 
could be ‘translated’ into stimulating female students to 
be more physically active (women are dominant in social 
studies). In the study conducted in Croatia (33), one 
of suggested ways to stimulate women’s participation 
in sports is to hire women in various positions in sports 
as a solution (coaches, judges, tournament officials, 
members of sports club management, etc.). Adequate 
educational courses for with abovementioned positions 
of women and better media coverage of women in sport 
are prerequisites for a better inclusion of women in sport 
(33).
The advantage of the research is the examination of a 
current (actual), large and representative sample of 
students at the University of Ljubljana, with selected 
socio-demographic features, relevant for the purpose 
of this research. The limitations of the research arise 
from differences according to gender and discipline of 
study, which are reflected in groupings of participants. 
Moreover, in spite of a large sample of participants, 
only students from the University of Ljubljana were 
included in the research. Differences in students’ 
relevant features used in clustering (e.g., male students 
are dominant in life sciences, etc.), provide a guide for 
practical implications. Information about the groupings 
of participants according to their exercise participation 
motives, offer a framework for planning educational 
programmes at the universities, as well as for health 
prevention programmes. It has to be pointed out that 
in Ljubljana, more and more sports events and sports 
activities are organised, even for free, and that in the 
last years, also many students participate in such events 
and activities. Moreover, many people are in the parks, 
running, skating or biking on the tracks, which gives more 
credit to the daily physical activity of students. In a wider 
10.1515/sjph-2017-0014 Zdr Varst 2017; 56(2): 107-114
113
framework, as for the Ljubljana citizens, exercises (such 
as aerobics, Pilates and other recreational activities) are 
offered for very acceptable costs, out of PE contents 
and offers.  Therefore, it is possible that this study does 
not reflect the ‘real’ situation about sports engagement 
amongst the University of Ljubljana students (including 
only PE lessons at the faculties).     
The recommendation for future research can involve using 
more sophisticated statistical methods (for example, 
general linear model, with two-factorial or three-factorial 
MANOVA), as well as extending this investigation to 
students of different universities and faculties in different 
cities in Slovenia, or to the international level.
5 CONCLUSION
Slovenian university students could be grouped into three 
distinctive clusters. These clusters could be explained 
in terms of the prevalence of motives for exercise 
participation in general (strongly, moderately and 
weakly expressed motives). Male students, students who 
are studying life sciences, who are sport active during 
their studies, and those who have mandatory physical 
education classes during their studies are grouped in 
the third cluster, with the highest level of all exercise 
participation motives. To use the results obtained for 
practical purposes (designing particular programmes), 
it is important to consider the differences in socio-
demographic variables. From a social standpoint, sports 
are a powerful tool that brings students together and 
creates a sense of community. They develop connections 
that bond together students from all the faculties. These 
relationships are essential for emotional and physical 
health throughout the entire period of the study. 
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist.
FUNDING 
There was no relevant financial interest in this article. 
ETHICAL APPROVAL
The study was conducted in accordance with the code of 
Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of 
Helsinki).
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