There are many different types of barriers and enablers that influence an individual’s physical activity levels. “Promoting regular physical activity is a public priority” (8) due to the documents health benefits of physical activity as well as the fact that most individuals are inactive. Barriers can be categorised in internal and external factors. Internal suggesting personal influences such as fatigue whereas external factors suggest the environment for example the weather being bad.
Many studies have been conducted in attempt to understanding the barriers and facilitators to the engagement of physical activity among healthy adults. The most common collected barriers included: “health issues, pain, weather, having a lack of time, the lack of transportation, and fatigue” (7). Enablers, however, includes physical, psychological, social, and environmental motivators.
Personal Barriers
“With technological advances and conveniences, people’s lives have in many ways become increasingly easier, as well as less active” (9) Not only this, but people also have many personal reasons or explanations for being inactive. Common reasons adults don’t adapt more physically lifestyles include boredom with exercise, fear of being injured, lack of encouragement and support, and lack of self-motivation (HPA).
In a study conducted in 2013 that was aimed to identify the external and internal barriers to physical activity and exercise participation amount adults, The most common internal factors “were ‘too tired’. ‘Already active enough’, ‘do not know how to do it’ and ‘too lazy’ (9). This can be fixed…
Habitual physical activity
With a rise in the prevalence of obesity levels and its “comorbidities” in the paediatric population, it is considered important to influence the engagement of the majority of children in regular physical activity. It is crucial to understand and handle the determinants of the habitual physical activity of children, especially when it is regarding overweight youth groups. An article shows data suggesting that self-efficacy and physical competence is what motivates and causes initiation among children and regular physical activity. A way to implement this would be to concentrate on primary psychosocial dimensions (psychological and environmental factors) such as providing children and students with access to a team of coaches or staff members who can give access to sport facilities.