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Introduction. Physical inactivity represents a majorpublic health concern, contributing to the developmentof numerous chronic diseases.Aim. The aim of this study was to simplify the ExerciseMotivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) using exploratoryand confirmatory factor analysis in order to identifya new, meaningful factor structure that effectively explains the underlying motives for physical activityamong university students.Methods. The study was conducted on 1,304 studentsof the University of Zagreb (65.7% female).The Croatian version of the EMI-2 questionnaire wasemployed, comprising 54 items designed to assessvarious intrinsic and extrinsic motives for exercise,which in the original English version are grouped into14 factors. Data were analyzed using exploratoryfactor analysis (EFA) to identify latent factors, followedby confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verifythe factor structure. Reliability was assessed usingCronbach’s alpha coefficient.Results. The exploratory factor analysis initially identifiedeight factors; however, the scree plot suggesteda three-factor solution encompassing psychological,social, and health-related motives for exercise. Thesimplified model demonstrated high internal consistency(Cronbach’s alpha: psychological motives = 0.934;social motives = 0.919; health motives = 0.922). Theconfirmatory factor analysis confirmed the validity ofthe model with acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.92; NFI= 0.91; IFI = 0.92), while regression analysis indicatedthat these factors significantly predicted students’leisure-time physical activity.Conclusions. The simplified version of the EMI-2 providesa reliable and valid tool for assessing motives forphysical activity, particularly within the student population.Simplifying the factor structure facilitates itsuse in both research and practical settings, supportingthe development of targeted intervention programsaimed at promoting physical activity. The findingshighlight the importance of psychological, social, andhealth-related motives in understanding and improvingphysical activity behaviors. Future research shouldexamine the applicability of this model across differentpopulations to confirm its universal relevance.