Investigating the beliefs of Saudi females regarding physical activity: a qualitative exploration

Figures & data

Table I. Interview questions.

Behavioural beliefs questions
Question 1	What do you believe are the pros of doing physical activity?
Question 2	What do you believe are the cons of doing physical activity?
Question 3	What else comes to mind when you think about doing physical activity?
Normative beliefs questions:
Question 1	Which people would approve or support you doing physical activity?
Question 2	Which people would disapprove of you doing physical activity?
Question 3	Are there any other groups/people who come to mind when you think about engaging in physical activity?
Control beliefs questions
Question 1	What circumstances would enable you to be physically active?
Question 2	What circumstances would deter you from performing physical activity?
Question 3	Are there any other issues that come to mind when you think about the difficulty of engaging in physical activity?

Figure 1. Brislin’s translation steps (Brislin, 1986).

Table II. Demographic characteristics of the interviewees (N = 25).

Characteristics	Cateogry	Frequencies	%
Age (Years)	18–24 years old	20	80%
	25–35 years old	5	20%
Marital Status	Single	24	96%
	Married	1	4%
Education Level	Undergraduate	20	80%
	Postgraduate	5	20%

Table III. Salient behavioural beliefs among young Saudi females aged 18–35 years regarding physical activity based on global guidelines.

Themes	Rank	Sub-themes	Frequency %
The advantages of doing the PA
Physical wellbeing	1	Increasing fitness level	17 (68%)
	2	Having an ideal body weight	16 (64%)
	3	Improving body image	15 (60%)
	4	Reducing the risk of chronic diseases	15 (60%)
	5	Improving health	14 (56%)
	6	Strengthening muscles and body	6 (24%)
Psychological wellbeing	1	Reducing current stress and anxiety	12 (48%)
	2	Increasing self-confidence	11 (44%)
	3	Relieving negative feelings	6 (24%)
	4	Improving mood status	5 (20%)
Social well-being	1	Developing new relationships	13 (52%)
Self-regulation	1	Organising the time	5 (20%)
The disadvantages of doing the PA
Physical harm	1	Increasing the risk of injury	16 (64%)
	2	Fears of PA addiction and obsession	5 (20%)
Social issues	1	Sometimes not attending family gatherings	5 (20%)

Table IV. Salient normative beliefs of young Saudi females aged 18–35 years regarding physical activity based on global guidelines.

Themes	Rank	Sub-themes	Frequency %
Social referents perceived as approving or supporting PA
Family	1	Sister	12 (48%)
	2	Mother	10 (40%)
	3	Father	9 (36%)
	4	Brother	8 (32%)
Society	1	Friends	18 (72%)
Social media users	1	Social media influencers	15 (60%)
Social referents perceived as disapproving or not supporting PA
Society	1	Saudi Community	6 (24%)

Table V. Salient control beliefs of young Saudi females aged 18–35 years regarding physical activity based on global guidelines.

Themes	Rank	Sub-themes	Frequency %
Salient enablers beliefs to engage in PA
Natural environment enablers	1	Fairweather	15 (60%)
Built environment enablers	1	Availability of suitable parks	14 (56%)
	2	Having female gyms	5 (20%)
Personal enablers	1	Online sources	12 (48%)
	2	The ability to get affordable exercise equipment in the house	6 (24%)
Salient barriers beliefs to engage in PA
Natural environment constraints	1	Hot weather	12 (48%)
Built environment constraints	1	Expensive gym membership	16 (64%)
	2	Lack of public transportation in cities	13 (52%)
	3	Lack of suitable walkways	11 (44%)
	4	Lack of enough female gyms	8 (32%)
Society constraints	1	Lack of social support	8 (32%)
Personal constraints	1	Lack of time	6 (24%)
	2	Wearing abaya while doing outdoor physical activity	5 (20%)

Brislin, R. W. (1986). Research instruments. In W. Lonner & J. Berry (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research (pp. 137–164). Sage Publications.

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