Barriers to Physical Activity Participation Among University Students in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to determine the level of physical activity and the effect factors that prevent university male and female students from participating in physical activities. Six hundred and eight students from the University of Hafr Al Batin in Saudi Arabia participated in the study. Male students were 263, and female students were 345 from four university branches. The participants were between 18 – 24 years of age. The measurement instrument included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF) and the Barriers to Being Active Quiz (BBAQ). The results of this study indicated that approximately 33% of participants had low physical activity, 42% of college students had moderate physical activity, and 25% had high physical activity. In general, female university students had greater barriers to being physically active than male university students. In addition, barriers to being physically active for students with low physical activity were significantly higher than for those with moderate and high physical activity. Also, female students had more barriers to being physically active than male students in four barrier categories that were lack of resources, social influence, lack of willpower, and lack of skill. Finally, university students who participate in physical activity after college had less barriers to being physically active than students who did not participate in physical activity. In conclusion, understanding the barriers that prevent to be physically active helps consider and solve them in order to reach the WHOs recommendation for physical activity