Perceived Barriers to Leisure-Time Physical Activity in the Brazilian Population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to synthesize and analyze scientific evidence of the perceived barriers to leisure-time physical activity (PA) in the Brazilian population. The Lilacs, SciELO, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science journal databases were reviewed and the number of reports of each barrier to PA, grouped according to the level of determinants of the social ecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental) was analyzed. We found 25 studies (11 in adolescents, 8 in adults and 6 in older adults), totaling 62,678 reports of barriers to PA. The studies were conducted in the South (n=15), Southeast (n=7), and Northeast (n=2) regions, and one study also included different regions of Brazil. Overall, about seven out of every 10 reports on barriers to PA involved intrapersonal barriers. Adults and older adults had a higher proportion of reports of intrapersonal barriers (84.8% and 74%, respectively), than adolescents (47.8%). There are still few studies with older adults, children, and in populations of the Midwest and North of the country. The most frequently reported barriers to PA among adolescents were lack of company, lack of social support from family and friends, unsuitable climate and limited access to spaces for PA. Lack of motivation and lack of time were the most frequently reported barriers in adults, whereas in older adults the predominant barriers were lack of motivation and diagnosed disease or physical limitation. PA promotion programs need to take into account the different barriers to PA, since these are specific to age groups. Level of Evidence II; Systematic Review of Level II Studies.

Barriers to leisure-time physical activity in adults living in a low socioeconomic area of the Brazilian Southeast

“…In the present study women reported more frequently the lack of time as a barrier, which might be explained by "double shifts" in cases where, besides working all day, women then engage in household tasks, a factor which may exacerbate lack of time as a barrier to engaging in leisure-time physical activity 25 . However, again, these results were different of the systematic review of Brazilian studies that showed that the prevalence of this barrier was higher in men than women 13 . Probably, the lack of time is most important to people living in low socioeconomic places like many neighborhoods in east zone, Sao Paulo city, because the people need work more hours per week (men and women), and spend more time in transportation.…”

“…However, there is a scarcity of studies investigating perceived barriers to engaging in physical activity in Brazil, mainly in people that living in low socioeconomic places, because the barriers can be different according to socioeconomic levels 21 . Sistematic review about Brazilian studies showed that we had eight studies with adults and six studies with elderly 13 . However, never of these studies were conducted with randomized sample that lived in the low socioeconomic region.This study showed also that intrapersonal factors as lake of time and lake of motivation were the main barriers to physical activity in leisure time in adults.…”

“…2007. that the main barrier was the lack of motivation for adults and for elderly people. The lack of time was the second most cited in adults and the physical limitations was the second most cited in elderly 13 . Therefore, the thematic about barriers to physical activity in leisure time is not consensual and depend of the place where people living and the social conditions of the people.…”

“…There are few epidemiologic studies about barriers to leisure-time physical activities with people living in places of low socioeconomic levels in Latin American countries as Brazil that had were conducted with the randomized and representative sample. For example, a systematic review about barriers to physical activity in Brazilian population showed that only one study had a randomized and large sample 13 .…”

“…In addition, the intrapersonal were the barriers most reported by adults and elderly people. However, there are few epidemiologic studies about barriers for physical activity in leisure time conducted in low socioeconomic areas and that had randomized sample 13 . For example, systematic review identified seven Brazilian studies with adults, but none was conducted in low socioeconomic area, where the people social, demographic and environmental conditions can be very different 13 .…”