1428 - Perceived benefits and barriers to physical exercise participation among healthcare workers

The current study was aimed to determine the perceptions on benefits and barriers to exercise among healthcare providers in a tunisian hospital

Design:

a cross-sectional study design was used with a convenience sample of 430 healthcare providers patients, in a tunisian hospital. Instruments included the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale and the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. Mean scores were computed to determine the perceived benefits and barriers responses. Multiple linear regression was conducted to explore the predictors of exercise self-efficacy. Data were collected over 5 months.

Results:

The study sample consisted of 430 healthcare workers, with 75% being women. Principal component analysis revealed four significant factors explaining 46.69% of the total variance. The items relating to barriers—items 37 and 42—had the highest mean scores, with 72% and 70% agreement, respectively, regarding the time devoted to family responsibilities and the insufficient number of spaces reserved for physical activity. Other barriers included the perception of exercise as hard work (68%) and concerns about clothing looking funny (65%). The most commonly perceived benefits were a decrease in feelings of stress and tension (78%), an increase in the feeling of personal accomplishment (68%), improved sleep quality (67%), and enhanced overall body functioning (72%).

Conclusions: Assessing barriers to exercise using a standardized scale is crucial for promoting and maintaining proper levels of physical activity. Identifing both the perceived benefits and obstacles to exercise, enabling the development of targeted interventions that can address the unique challenges faced by healthcare professionals, such as time constraints, fatigue, and limited access to facilities. By understanding these barriers, healthcare organizations can better support their staff in achieving and maintaining a healthy level of physical activity."