Barriers to Physical Activity

Drs. A.M. Adachi-Mejia and K.E. Schifferdecker from Dartmouth College investigated the barriers (particularly in women) that prevented them from engaging in physical activity.

The most frequently cited barriers to increasing activity were lack of time, lack of energy, lack of company and lack of facilities. But the barriers cited differed by weight class, with normal-weight women citing lack of facilities, while the obese women most frequently cited barrier was a lack of self-discipline.

When the researchers analyzed the results of the open-ended survey, they found that respondents tended to focus on different barriers. For example, as weight class increased, more physical barriers were cited, with knee issues being most frequent. The obese classes also were more likely to cite psychological barriers such as depression, procrastination, and lack of motivation, as well as asthma and weight. All weight classes cited being alone or “no one to exercise with” as barriers to physical activity.

"one might instead be inclined to encourage women with physical challenges to work with experts in physical rehabilitation or occupational therapy to help troubleshoot the immediate challenges in being active and eventually work towards greater ability to be active.”

http://acsh.org/news/2016/06/03/motivating-women-to-move-by-breaking-down-barriers/