Perceptions and perspectives of physical activity center managers on promoting physical activity in higher education: a qualitative study

Globally, 41% of higher education students remain physically inactive. Physical activity (PA) centers serve as primary hubs for promoting PA on campus, yet the perspective of PA center managers remain an underexplored population in health promotion literature. This study aimed to examine the perceptions and perspectives of higher education PA center managers regarding their role in promoting PA. A qualitative inductive method was used. Eight focus groups included a total of 47 participants were conducted with PA center managers from Quebec, Canada (five in colleges, three in universities). Focus groups interviews addressed PA center mandates, funding models, service offerings, promotion challenges, and priority actions. As results, five key themes emerged. First, PA center mandates include teaching support, community programming, research facilitation, competitive sports excellence, and public service. Second, self-financing models create tensions between financial sustainability and student accessibility. Third, insufficient facilities represent the primary barrier. Static infrastructure fails to meet growing demand. Fourth, promotional challenges include difficulty reaching sedentary students. Managers are reluctant to promote services when facilities are already saturated. Fifth, priority actions focus on expanding facilities, securing funding, increasing staffing, improving strategic alignment, and enhancing student outreach. In conclusion, higher education PA center managers operate within complex environments. They face competing mandates, financial constraints, and infrastructure limitations. These systemic challenges significantly hinder their ability to promote PA among students. Effective campus PA promotion requires coordinated institutional responses. Understanding these operational realities is relevant for developing realistic strategies to enhance student engagement in PA in higher education settings.