Abstract
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n5p567 In an attempt to understand the problem of declining physical activity (PA) among adolescents, there has been an increasing interest in identifying perceived barriers (PB) that can reduce the involvement of adolescents in PA. The aim of this study was to identify PB to PA practice among public high school students. The samples was composed of 348 students aged 14-19 years, 46.8% females and 53.2% males. To investigate BP, an instrument consisting of 12 statements and validated for the study population was used. The analysis of results was carried out by descriptive statistics, Kruskal Wallis test to check the possible differences in PB throughout high school years and chi-square for the difference in proportions of barriers. Having many tasks to do, lack of time and adverse weather conditions were the most cited PB. There was no difference in the perception of barriers among high school years (males: p = 0.44; females: p = 0.23). PB “not having how to go or return” (p = 0.04), “adverse weather conditions” and “laziness” (p = 0.02), “lack of time” (p = 0.01) and “at home nobody performs PA” (p = 0.04) showed statistically significant differences between sexes. Both sexes reported similar barriers; however, girls reported higher number of PB and with greater frequency. Identifying which PB prevent the adoption of a physically active lifestyle may be the beginning of solutions to minimize the negative effects.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) is an important factor to prevent the development of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes[1,2], hypertension and cholesterol[3] and is a behavioral determinant of risk of overweight and obesity[4]
The results of this study show that, in adolescents both sexes over 14 years, the IPAQ presents acceptable measurement properties for monitoring physical activity (PA) level
The findings showed that for the study participants, the most prevalent perceived barriers (PB) were “I have many tasks to do”, “lack of time” and “adverse weather conditions”
Summary
Physical activity (PA) is an important factor to prevent the development of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes[1,2], hypertension and cholesterol[3] and is a behavioral determinant of risk of overweight and obesity[4]. According to the world Health Organization (WHO)[1], physical inactivity is a major death risk factor worldwide and, diseases associated with lack of PA commonly manifest in adulthood, scientific evidence points to their development early in childhood and adolescence[5]. In an attempt to understand the problem of PA decline among adolescents, there is a growing need of identifying which elements can cause this phenomenon, since active behaviors are influenced by the interaction of a variety of biological, behavioral and environmental factors[11]. Studies have made reference to factors that impair the practice of PA as barriers[6,9,12,13,14,15,16]
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