Fear‐related barriers to physical activity among adults with overweight and obesity: A narrative synthesis scoping review

Abstract

Physical activity is a health behavior contributing to successful weight management.Adults with overweight and obesity find it challenging to meet recommended activity guidelines because of a range of barriers, some of which are not yet fully understood.A barrier receiving limited consideration, compared with other literature within this field, is that of fear. The purpose of this scoping review was to establish the extent of literature on fear-related barriers to physical activity in adults with overweight or obesity and to identify gaps in this literature. The review followed the scoping review framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The findings of the identified papers were charted thematically using a framework of fears and age group. In total, 34 studies were included that identified nine different fears related to barriers to activity in this population. However, only a small number of studies (n = 5) had explicitly intended to explore fear-related barriers. There were notable knowledge gaps including activity-related fear of pain and movement in adults under 45 years of age. There is a strong rationale to further explore these fears because they may restrict health promoting behavior.

Perceived barriers to physical activity behaviour among patients with diabetes and hypertension in Kosovo: a qualitative study

“…These findings are consistent with the literature on barriers to physical activity in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus such as muscle and joint pain [38,39], physical discomfort and tiredness, [40] and fear of injury [41]. Likewise, in people with obesity, barriers to physical activity that were established in previous studies included pain or physical discomfort, low capability of self-management, lack of time, and fear of injuries [42,43]. For the special group of adults with morbid obesity, a qualitative systematic review on experiences with physical activity interventions highlighted the importance of addressing experiences of suffering and well-being, the capability of doing physical exercise, and the dimension of belonging with others, when intervening.…”

Fear as a barrier to physical activity in young adults with obesity: a qualitative study

“…However, research has highlighted that adults with obesity encounter various barriers to physical activity that result in a failure to meet recommended guidelines (Aibar-Almazán et al 2018). These barriers are multifactorial and can include physical, psychological, and environmental components (Hamer et al 2021). Central to physical barriers is pain and injury, making basic movement difficult and uncomfortable (Cooper et al 2016).…”

Validation of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of Moorehead-Ardelt Quality of Life - II among patients with severe obesity

“…Patients with obesity that do not enjoy physical exercise tend to be less active [31]. In addition, some patients present mobility problems or fear of injury, causing hardships in engaging in physical exercise [32]. These factors can jointly induce weight gain.…”