“Its hard to try and become active when you don’t know how.”:
Exploring physical activity participation contributors in a pandemic recovery era
Keywords:
Undergraduate students, Female, Barriers and facilitators, Physical activity, COVID-19, QualitativeAbstract
Regular physical activity (PA) can prevent and treat adverse health conditions, yet many Canadians fail to reap these benefits. Females are particularly likely to experience PA barriers, including low self-efficacy, and comfort. While researched before the pandemic, there is a paucity of studies exploring these barriers and facilitators in conjunction with the pandemic’s trajectory: especially among female undergraduate students (FUS). To identify methods to enhance PA engagement, this study qualitatively examined the barriers and facilitators to participation post-COVID-19 restriction removal among FUS at a mid-sized Canadian university. Full-time FUS who wanted to become more active were recruited. One-on-one semi-structured interviews focused on PA habits, barriers and facilitators to engagement and COVID-19-related experiences. Data were analyzed inductively, and several strategies were employed to enhance trustworthiness. Findings revealed that, overall, a decline in PA post-COVID-19 restriction removal occurred for participants (n = 10). Barriers to engagement included PA as a low priority, poor self-efficacy, concerns about negative judgement, and exercising alone. Facilitators included the social aspect and having an internal obligation. The PA-related barriers suggest that interventions specific to this population are warranted. These data will be useful for post-secondary health promoters tasked with enhancing student wellness during the pandemic recovery era.
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