Perceived barriers to physical activity among university students

Abstract

It is an accepted biological fact that Exercise decides the nature of the health of the human being. When one does not do exercises his body becomes gradually inactive. The human body is like a meshing that gets more activated when more functioning is done according to American physiologist Thomas Kart .Exercises are required not only to keep sport men and women activated and also for the ordinary layman Analytical studies show the value on such programs which are quite essential for the up keep of the human body. Many studies which were published in other countries identified certain benefits and barriers to physical activity among young people .But there is no data about these special felid pertaining to Sri Lankan adolescents. This study tries to fulfill this gap and it is done based on the Kelaniya university students. The research problem of these studies is to identify the factors which hinder the progress of physical activity among undergraduate students. Both primary and secondary data were used to collect such data; a sample of 300 undergraduates from all faculties were selected for the sample .To obtain secondary data research reports, news paper letters, publications, journals, and the internet were used in the conducting of the survey, current exercise habits and perceived barriers to physical activity were assessed in the sample. Using a likert type scale, participants responded to an instrument with 12 items representing barriers to physical activity. According to the result of the study it was the mean score that way computed. External barriers were more important than internal barriers. “Lack of time due to busy lesson schedule”, “My parents give academic success priority over exercise”. And “lack of time due to responsibilities related to the family and social environment” were most cited items for physical activity barriers. There is a need for future research, which will be carried out with a larger sample group to develop national standardized instruments. It will be helpful for accurately identify perceived barriers and then recommend changes to enhance physical activity among young people.