Comparative Study of Barriers to Physical Activity in Relation to Health and Wellness among Female Adolescents of Tier 1 & Tier 3 Cities

Abstract

Background: Adolescence represents a pivotal phase for the formation of enduring physical activity routines; nevertheless, a significant number of adolescents globally, especially in India, do not achieve the suggested levels of physical engagement. Although obstacles to physical activity and their effects on adolescent health have been thoroughly examined, the majority of current studies have concentrated on gender differences or general urban-rural distinctions, resulting in a lack of insight into how these barriers and their association with health and wellness vary across specific city-tier classifications in India.

Objectives: The study sought to investigate the correlation between barriers to physical activity and health and wellness in Tier 1 adolescents, and  explore the same correlation in Tier 3 adolescents, contrast the barriers to physical activity between Tier 1 and Tier 3 adolescents, and evaluate health and wellness differences between Tier 1 and Tier 3 adolescents.

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional approach was utilized involving 30 adolescents from each Tier 1 and Tier 3 cities (N = 60). Obstacles to physical activity were evaluated with the Barriers to Being Active Quiz (BBAQ-21; USDHHS, 1999), which encompasses seven kinds of barriers, whereas health and wellness was measured using the Health and Wellness Assessment (Edlin & Golonty, 2007), which includes six characteristics of wellness. Shapiro-Wilk tests revealed deviations from normality in multiple subscales; thus, Spearman's rank-order correlation was employed for Objectives 1 and 2, while Mann-Whitney U tests and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA, Hotelling's T²) was employed for Objectives 3 and 4, with parametric counterparts (Pearson's r, independent samples t-test) provided for comparison. Both instruments exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.885–0.895) among the groups.

Findings: In Tier 1 adolescents, "Time Constraints" and "Peer Pressure" exhibited substantial negative correlations with many wellness aspects, with Peer Pressure impacting emotional well-being, physical fitness and body maintenance, environmental wellness, and stress levels (all p < 0.05). Among Tier 3 adolescents, none of the  category of barriers showed a significant association with any aspect of wellbeing (all p > 0.05). The analysis of barriers among Tier 1 and Tier 3 adolescents indicated no significant differences, both in individual categories and in the comprehensive multivariate barrier profile (MANOVA: T² = 11.24, F(7, 52) = 1.44, p = 0.210). In terms of health and wellness, no single category exhibited significant changes between the two groups; yet, the comprehensive multivariate wellness profile showed a significant difference (MANOVA: T² = 15.64, F(6, 53) = 2.38, p = 0.041), predominantly influenced by variations in Stress and Environmental Health.

Conclusion: Barriers to physical activity significantly forecast health and wellness results in Tier 1 adolescents, however this is not the case for Tier 3 adolescents, despite both demographics indicating similar levels of barriers overall. Simultaneously, adolescents in Tier 1 and Tier 3 show nuanced yet substantial variations in their overall wellbeing profile, a distinction not solely ascribed to constraints related to physical exercise. These results indicate that initiatives aimed at overcoming barriers to physical activity (especially time limitations and social pressures) could be more beneficial for enhancing wellness in Tier 1 settings, while Tier 3 initiatives might require a focus on wider environmental and lifestyle elements beyond just activity-related barriers.