Differences In Exercise Barriers Self-Efficacy Among Individuals Of Different Activity Levels

INTRODUCTION: Physical Activity (PA) is especially important for individuals with sedentary jobs. University employees are often required to sit for 8+ hours a day and are faced with exercise barriers, including time constraints and an inability to follow their own programming. It is important to accumulate at least 500-1,000 MET-min·wk-1 of PA recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine and understand the barriers to meeting these guidelines. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine if individuals classified into different PA levels perceive exercise barriers differently. METHODS: Employees (N=51) at a regional university were recruited via e-mail. Prior to the program, participants completed demographic questions, an informed consent, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and the Barriers Self-Efficacy Scale (BARSE). Participant activity levels were categorized by volume of MET-minutes accomplished per week reported on the IPAQ: inactive (n=16; <600 MET-min·wk-1), sufficiently active (n=27; 600-2,999 MET-min·wk-1) and very active (n=8; >3,000 MET-min·wk-1). The BARSE is a 13-item questionnaire scored as an average of 0%-100% confidence to overcome specific barriers to exercise. A One-Way ANOVA was used to analyze the difference in barriers confidence among inactive, sufficiently active, and very active individuals. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the three different activity groups, F(2,48) = 2.26, p=.12. The very active group had the highest perceived ability to overcome barriers (M=74.99%±13.36%), while the active group (M=61.84%±15.54%) possessed a slightly lower, but similar confidence level to the inactive group (M=63.66%±16.57%). CONCLUSIONS: Very active individuals may possess a higher level of confidence to overcome barriers, while those who meet general recommendations for fitness are no more confident than inactive individuals. Future research should examine other factors potentially responsible for differences in PA levels.