Background/Purpose Ample research has studied determinants of physical activity to help enhance health promotion initiatives nationwide. These determinants have been observed to differ among various segments of the population, suggesting further examination among population subsets. Minimal research has analyzed differences in determinants between university students reporting varying levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between gender and perception of physical activity barriers to overall physical activity level among university students.
Method An ecological model guided a literature review revealing individual, interpersonal, and environmental barriers demonstrated to influence activity participation for college students. The study was a cross-sectional, e-survey analysis of a stratified random sampling of 412 university students, where perceived barriers were measured using the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).
Analysis/Results In this study, 75% of males and 53% of female students were highly active. Chi-Square and Multiple Logistic Regression revealed that gender was significantly associated with being highly physically active (OR = 2.56, p=.0003), and perception of barriers were negatively associated to being highly physically active (OR = 0.92, p=0.0001). Additionally females revealed more significant determinants of being highly active than males.
Conclusions Findings indicate male students are more likely to be highly active than females, and that females have a higher perception of barriers toward engaging in regular physical activity. Additionally, practitioners should consider gender when creating activity programming for college students based upon the ecological model.