Factors associated with the perception of major barriers to leisure physical activity among university from an institution in Minas Gerais

Gildeene Silva  Farias; Thiago Ferreira de  Sousa; André Luís Rodrigues   Santos; Gerleison Ribeiro   Barros; Aline de Jesus   Santos; Aylton  Figueira Junior

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.13236

##article.authors##

Gildeene Silva Farias Universidade São Judas Tadeu https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2810-2925
- Data Curation
- Investigation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Conceptualization
Thiago Ferreira de Sousa State University of Santa Cruz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9846-9661
- Conceptualization
- Methodology
- Formal Analysis
- Project Administration
- Writing – Review & Editing
André Luís Rodrigues Santos Universidade São Judas Tadeu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3854-3284
- Conceptualization
- Writing – Review & Editing
Gerleison Ribeiro Barros Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5122-8625
- Data Curation
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Aline de Jesus Santos State University of Santa Cruz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8195-2008
- Conceptualization
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
Aylton Figueira Junior Universidade São Judas Tadeu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6635-8019
- Writing – Review & Editing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.13236

Keywords:

university student, physical exercise, sedentary behaviors

Abstract

Barriers to physical activity (PA) refer to subjective difficulties that may prevent or discourage the adoption of this behavior. The objective was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with perceived barriers to leisure-time PA among undergraduate students at a university in the state of Minas Gerais. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 994 participants. The dependent variable was barriers to leisure-time PA. The independent variables considered sociodemographic, university affiliation, biological, behavioral, and perceptive characteristics. The association estimate was performed by calculating the Odds Ratio (OR). The level of statistical significance was set at 5% (p<0.05). The barrier related to personal aspects was the most frequent, with a prevalence of 48%. There was a lower chance of perceiving resource/opportunity barriers among men, and among those with adequate sleep, there was a lower chance of perceiving personal and situational barriers. Undergraduates with a positive perception of health and stress were less likely to perceive barriers. Considering personal factors in intervention strategies may be essential to minimize barriers to leisure-time PA among university students.