Physical activity wishes of people with excess body weight - a qualitative systematic review

Despite significant public health focus upon minimizing overweight and obesity, the prevalence of individuals with such conditions continues to rise globally. This involves major health challenges for the individual, as well as increased global healthcare costs. Diet and physical activity are known to be an effective method of weight loss. However, research also indicates that it is often difficult for individuals to maintain increased levels of physical activity. Thus it is important to investigate the wishes of people with overweight and obesity to understand how to best support maintaining adequate levels of physical activity. Many articles have been published in the field, but to our knowledge no systematic review has explored wishes of people with overweight and obesity for physical activity. The aim of this qualitative systematic review was to identify how physical activity should be planned and structured to include the wishes and needs of people with excess body weight to increase their level of physical activity. Systematic review guidelines have been followed. A systematic literature search has been carried out in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane. Data synthesis has been conducted according to Thomas and Harden’s thematic analysis. The search resulted in 15,333 articles after removal of duplicates, with 10 articles included in this qualitave systematic review. The included studies were carried out in different countries and cultures. Two primary themes, coping and environment, and seven sub themes emerged from this analysis. Each theme encompassed specific barriers and facilitators that shape the ability of individuals with excess body weight to engage in physical activity. None of the found studies explicitly examined the wishes of individuals with excess body weight regarding physical activity. However, the studies do explore various perspectives on physical activity from the viewpoint of individuals with overweight and obesity. These insights contribute valuable knowledge to the planning and organization of physical activity, particularly in terms of its form and content.