Assessment of Antecedents and Barriers to Physical Activity among Pakistani Adults ()
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are caused by physical inactivity.
71% of all deaths globally and nearly half of all deaths in Pakistan are caused
by NCDs. Despite the severity of the issue, a little research has accessed
young adults’ physical activity (PA) in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed
to explore the antecedents (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control
(PBC), perceived barriers, perceived gender norms and intentions) of PA while
adapting the Theory of Planned Behaviour among Pakistani adults. Design: In this cross-sectional study, 233 Pakistani adults (18+) were recruited
through the Qualtrics, based on convenience sampling. Two independent sample
t-tests and four hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to explore
the predictors effect on intentions and PA. Results: There was no
significant gender difference in PA. Females had higher perceived barriers than
males. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed subjective norms (beta = .51, p < .001) and PBC (beta = .21, p < .01) as significant predictors to
intentions; PBC (beta = .21, p <
.01) and intentions (beta = .13, p < .05) as significant predictors to PA. Predictors’ subjective norms, perceived barriers, intentions
and PBC should be considered to improve females PA and subjective norms for
males PA. All predictors explained 35% of variance in intentions and 15% of
variance in PA in the whole sample. Conclusion: Extended TPB is a
useful framework to express physical activity antecedents among Pakistani
adults and can be utilized to develop PA interventions to improve public health
and well-being.
Share and Cite:
Khalid, M. (2023) Assessment of Antecedents and Barriers to Physical Activity among Pakistani Adults.
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
11, 159-181. doi:
10.4236/jss.2023.112012.
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