Motivators and barriers to exercise in college students compared to faculty and staff

Abstract

Objective: Compare the barriers and motivators to exercise in faculty/staff compared to students. Participants: Students and faculty/staff who were enrolled or employed at a college in Pennsylvania were emailed a link to a 91-question online Qualtrics® survey. Methods: The survey collected demographic information as well as physical activity habits and included the Barriers to Being Active Questionnaire, Motivations for Physical Activities Measure, and Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire. Results: Faculty/staff (n = 69) were older and had a higher BMI than students (n = 97) (both p < 0.001). There were no differences in physical activity habits between groups. Faculty/staff reported social influences being a significantly (p = 0.02) greater barrier to physical activity than students. Students reported appearance (p = 0.002) and competence (p = 0.02) to be significantly higher motivators compared to faculty/staff. Both groups reported moderate self-determined motivation. Conclusion: Appropriate strategies can be employed by identifying the motivators and barriers to physical activity in students and faculty/staff.