Reasons and Barriers for University Students' Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Moderating Effect of Health Education

Physical activity motives and self-efficacy to overcome physical activity barriers in first-year undergraduates: Do they differ based on physical activity levels?

Objective: Physical activity (PA) declines during the transition to university. Identifying contributing factors is imperative. Participants: Participants were first-year undergraduate students (N = 283). Methods: Participants completed validated surveys. Participants were categorized as meeting PA guidelines or not meeting PA guidelines. MANCOVA's with Bonferroni correction and Kruskal Wallis tests examined differences in PA motives and self-efficacy to overcome PA barriers across PA groups. Results: Significant multivariate effects were observed across PA groups for PA motives and self-efficacy. Univariate analyses revealed students meeting PA guidelines reported significantly higher PA motives of fitness/health management, appearance/weight management, and stress/mood management compared to students not meeting PA guidelines. Students meeting PA guidelines reported significantly higher self-efficacy for all PA barriers compared to students not meeting PA guidelines. Conclusions: Universities should prioritize education about the physical and psychological benefits of PA and teach first-year students behavioral skills to increase PA motivation, self-efficacy, and PA behavior.

Exploring barriers to physical activity participation among female nursing students adhering to specific social-cultural norms in Indonesia: A qualitative study

Background

The prevalence of insufficient physical activity is common among nursing students and impacts their academic performance. Research on obstacles to physical activity (PA) among religious women, notably Muslims, is limited.

Objectives

This study aimed to explore barriers to PA among Indonesian Muslim female nursing students and gather suggestions for overcoming those barriers.

Methods

This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Two focus groups were conducted with 12 Muslim female nursing students in Makassar, Indonesia. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were collected from May and July 2019. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify core themes and sub-themes.

Results

Thematic analysis identified barriers to PA across four main themes: intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and social-cultural related to religious context. Each theme included two to three sub-themes, totaling nine categories of PA participation barriers. Intrapersonal barriers consisted of low motivation, emotional states, and a sedentary lifestyle. Interpersonal challenges included a lack of family or friend support and family obligations. Institutional barriers involved academic workload prioritization, school environment inaccessibility, and absence of athletic curriculum policy. Socio-cultural barriers posed by religious expectations included gender-related concerns and modest dressing. Drawing from their perspectives as Muslim female nursing students, study participants proposed six strategies to address these barriers. Proposed solutions include promoting PA through Apps, forming female team-up clubs, providing designated exercise spaces, and implementing mandatory athletic courses for nursing students at the institutional level. Additionally, offering female instructors and private exercise rooms could reduce the barriers from a socio-cultural perspective caused by religious expectations.

Conclusions

The study found that Muslim female nursing students with dual roles face increased barriers to PA participation, driven by intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, nursing learning load, and religious norms. Schools could build environments to meet the religious expectations within Indonesian society to promote PA for Muslim female nursing students. For example, the practical strategies include offering private rooms or female instructors when they physically exercise in school.

Young women's leisure time physical activity determinants: a mixed methods approach

Introduction

The aim of the study was to analyze the habits, motives and barriers related to Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) among young women of Gipuzkoa, from a mixed approach.

Methods

A total of 526 women aged 18-29 (24.60 ± 3.30 years) responded to the Gipuzkoa Women's Physical Activity Questionnaire (GWPAQ), seven of which were later interviewed.

Results

The main motives for LTPA were intrapersonal - related to health and enjoyment - and to interpersonal networks. However, the main barriers facing LTPA were mostly intrapersonal, such as lack of time, tiredness, and laziness. Contextual factors such as the availability of safe spaces, previous negative experiences, or negative self-perception of motor competence also emerged as conditioning factors in young women's LTPA habits.

Discussion

This study may help to promote policies aimed at incentivizing LTPA for young women based on their needs and interests, by addressing the diversity of factors.

The correlation between physical inactivity and students' health based on data mining and related influencing factors

The sedentary behavior among college students has become one of the most important factors affecting the development of physical and mental health. Chronic lack of physical activity may lead to health problems such as decreased physical fitness, and increased psychological disorders. In the post-epidemic era, it is necessary for college students to have a strong immune system, and a strong body cannot be achieved without regular leisure physical activity. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the relationship between relevant health factors and physical activity. This paper presents an optimized COM-B model. And the experimental results show that the optimized model is well applied in describing the current situation of physical activity participation among college students, analyzing the distribution characteristics of socio-demographic variables related to physical activity, and exploring the correlation between physical activity and the subhealth status of college students.

Can school health education improve students' physical exercise time? Empirical research based on CEPS (2014-2015) survey data

Purpose

School health education is an effective strategy for cultivating adolescent physical exercise habits by transmitting healthy knowledge; it helps to form healthy behaviours and encourages students to participate in physical exercise. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between school health education and student participation in physical exercise.

Methods

CEPS (China Education Penal Survey, 2014-2015) survey data were used to empirically analyse the impact of school health education on the time that students spend on physical exercise and the underlying mechanism of influence.

Results

The results showed that receiving a school health education increased the time that students spent on physical exercise. 1) Compared with receiving health education in only primary school or secondary school, receiving health education in both primary and secondary school had a greater impact on students spending time on physical exercise. 2) Receiving a school health education improved the time that students spend on physical exercise by improving students' health perception and their sports interests. 3) Receiving a school health education had a more obvious impact on the physical exercise time of male students, nonrural resident students, and students from multi-child households. These findings can provide a reference for the seasonable settings of health education curriculum in schools.

Health sciences students' career commitment, mental health, and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To understand the biopsychosocial dimensions of university health sciences students' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Health sciences students (n = 297) from two universities in July and August 2020. Methods: Participants completed a Web-based survey asking about depression, anxiety, physical activity, coronavirus threat, and career commitment. Results: Moderate or severe depression and anxiety were reported by 28.6% and 31.3% of respondents, respectively. Depression and anxiety were positively correlated with perceived coronavirus threat and negatively correlated with career commitment and strenuous physical activity. A change in career commitment interests during the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by 11% of respondents. Conclusions: Identified factors that could be targeted by universities to support their students and secure career commitment include online learning challenges, ability to secure clinical placements, mental health (anxiety and depression), financial challenges, family pressure, and promotion of physical activity.

Barriers to high school and university students' physical activity: A systematic review

Physical inactivity commonly occurs throughout one's life, particularly during adolescence and young adulthood. Multiple factors can negatively influence participation in physical activity, but there has been no review examining the barriers to physical activity among high school and university students. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence of barriers to the practice of physical activity among high school and university students. The literature search was conducted without time limits using five databases, including CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. In total, 59 studies (37 with high school students [n = 22,908] and 22 with university students [n = 15,411]) were included. The main barriers identified in high school and university students were lack of time, lack of motivation, and lack of accessible places. These findings may be useful in designing and implementing evidence-informed interventions and programs for physical activity promotion in students.

The Influence of Motivation, Attitudes and Obstacles for Middle School Students' Participation in Leisure Activities on Their Leisure Satisfaction in Southwest China

Purpose: To explore the relationship among leisure motivation, barriers, attitude and satisfaction of middle school students in Chengdu, Sichuan, to help students establish a positive leisure attitude and provide a reference for youth leisure counseling.

Methods: Based on consulting research literature, this paper designs a survey volume of teenagers’ leisure motivation, barriers, attitude, and satisfaction; 2249 valid questionnaires of middle school students in Chengdu were obtained by stratified random sampling. The data were statistically processed by the combination of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results: (1) There are significant positive correlation effects between leisure motivation and leisure attitude, leisure attitude and leisure satisfaction, and leisure motivation and leisure satisfaction; (2) There is a low degree of positive correlation effect (r = 0.35 *) between leisure barriers and leisure motivation, which is contrary to common sense and needs to be further studied in the follow-up; (3) Leisure barriers has no significant direct impact on leisure satisfaction, but it can have a significant negative impact on leisure satisfaction with the intermediary variable of leisure attitude; (4) Leisure motivation is the most important variable in the whole leisure model structure. It not only has the greatest direct impact on leisure satisfaction but also has a great positive impact on leisure satisfaction through the intermediary of leisure attitude.

Conclusion: Adolescent leisure motivation, barriers, attitude, and satisfaction are complementary and interdependent. Among them, leisure motivation is the core variable and leisure attitude is the dual intermediary variable. Through the initiation of leisure motivation, helping adolescents establish a positive leisure attitude may be the key to ensure their leisure satisfaction.

Acute fetal response to high-intensity interval training in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy

The majority of women do not meet the recommended levels of exercise during their pregnancies, frequently due to a lack of time. High-intensity interval training offers a potential solution, providing an effective, time-efficient exercise modality. This exercise modality has not been studied in pregnancy therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate fetal response to a high-intensity interval training resistance circuit in the late second and early third trimesters of pregnancy. Fourteen active, healthy women with uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies participated in a high-intensity interval training resistance circuit between 28 + 0/7 and 32 + 0/7 weeks. A Borg rating of perceived exertion of 15-17/20 and an estimated heart rate of 80%-90% of maternal heart-rate maximum was targeted. Fetal well-being was evaluated continuously with fetal heart-rate tracings and umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry conducted pre-and post-exercise. Fetal heart rate tracings were normal throughout the exercise circuit. Post-exercise, umbilical artery end-diastolic flow was normal and significant decreases were observed in the mean systolic/diastolic ratios, pulsatility indexes and resistance indexes. Therefore, in a small cohort of active pregnant women, a high-intensity interval training resistance circuit in the late second and early third trimesters of pregnancy appears to be a safe exercise modality with no acute, adverse fetal effects but further study is required. Novelty: High-intensity interval training, at an intensity in excess of current recommendations, does not appear to be associated with any adverse fetal effects in previously active pregnant women. High-intensity interval training is an enjoyable and effective exercise modality in previously active pregnant women.

Perfectionism, Motives, and Barriers to Exercise from a Person-Oriented Approach

Perfectionism is considered to be a significant personality factor within the sport and exercise field. However, very little is known about the reasons why individuals with different perfectionistic tendencies engage or not in physical activity. This study aims, from a person-oriented approach, to analyze if participation motives and barriers may differ among four perfectionistic profiles: Non-Perfectionists (low perfectionistic strivings, PS, and perfectionistic concerns, PC), Adaptive Perfectionists (high PS and low PC), Maladaptive Perfectionists (high PS and PC), and Moderate Perfectionists (moderate PS and PC). A sample composed of 597 (M_age = 22.08, SD = 3.33) undergraduates enrolled in a sport science degree from Ecuador participated in this study. Non-Perfectionists reported lower levels of motives, whereas Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionists reported higher scores on all participation motives. Significant and positive correlations were found between PS and both autonomous and controlled motives, whereas PC was positively correlated with controlled reasons and only significantly correlated with some autonomous reasons by the effect of PS. In terms of barriers, Maladaptive Perfectionists reported significantly higher scores on all barriers analyzed in comparison with the other three profiles, with moderate and large effect sizes. The results of the bivariate and partial correlations suggest that these inter-profile differences were explained by PC. Considering the results, it is advised to develop strategies to identify Maladaptive Perfectionists in order to increase their intrinsic reasons for practicing physical exercise, and to minimize their perceived barriers.

Reliability, Validity, and Gender Invariance of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale: An Emerging Evidence for a More Concise Research Tool

The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) research instrument has been extensively used to investigate the perceived benefits and barriers of exercise in a range of settings. In order to examine theoretical contentions and translate the findings, it is imperative to implement measurement tools that operationalize the constructs in an accurate and reliable way. The original validation of the EBBS proposed a nine-factor structure for the research tool, examined the EBBS factor structure, and suggested that various factors are important for the testing of the perception of exercise benefits and barriers, whereas a few items and factors may not be vital. The current study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using hierarchical testing in 565 participants from the northwest region of the United Kingdom, the results of which provided evidence for a four-factor structure of the benefits measure, with the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.943, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.933, and root means square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.051, namely life enhancement, physical performance, psychological outlook, and social interaction, as well as a two-factor structure of the barrier measures, with the CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.931, and RMSEA = 0.063, including exercise milieu and time expenditure. Our findings showed that for a six-factor correlated model, the CFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.919, and RMSEA = 0.046. The multi-group CFA provided support for gender invariance. The results indicated that after three decades of the original validation of the EBBS, many of the core factors and items are still relevant for the assessment of higher-order factors; however, the 26-item concise tool proposed in the current study displays a better parsimony in comparison with the original 43-item questionnaire. Overall, the current study provides support for a reliable, cross-culturally valid EBBS within the UK adult population, however, it proposes a shorter and more concise version compared with the original tool, and gives direction for future research to focus on the content validity for assessing the perception of the barriers to physical activity.

Knowing Students' Characteristics: Opportunities to Adapt Physical Education Teaching

Physical Education (PE) aims to convey the joy of exercise and by this educate students to lifelong physical activeness. Student motivation in PE decreases during the school career. This study therefore comprehensively analyzes student characteristics determining motivation in PE: General Personality Traits, Physical Self-Concept, Achievement Motive, Motives to be physically active, and Sports Interest. This contribution aims to describe students' prerequisites in the PE context by using an aggregated assessment of the abovementioned general plus sport specific characteristics and to detect gender, class, and school type differences. In total, 1,740 German secondary school students (58.1% female, M = 14.39 years) participate in a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Descriptive analyses and between subjects MANOVAs followed by univariate ANOVAs with pairwise multiple comparison tests are applied. Gender explains the largest proportion of variance across all characteristics. Regarding individual dimensions, genders differed on 12, grades on two and school types on 11 out of 19 dimensions. PE teachers must adapt teaching to different gender dispositions. In general, group differences ascribe special meaning to student perception and teaching behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to the research area and their implementation in teaching practice as well as in PE teacher education or professional training, e.g., aligned teaching methods, arranged learning atmospheres, or adjusted content design of PE lessons.