Exercise stages of change and barriers among undergraduates at a historically black university

Abstract

Objective: To investigate exercise stages of change (SOC) and physical barriers among undergraduates at an Historically Black University (HBCU) and quantify their relationship. Participants: A total of 326 undergraduate HBCU students; 198 were females (body mass index (BMI) range 16.5–87.9; M = 26.5 ± 6.8) and 127 were males (BMI range 18.0–49.3; M = 26.4 ± 5.7). Methods: Students voluntarily completed a three-section survey: demographic questions, Exercise SOC, and Barriers to Being Active Quiz (BBAQ). Results: An ANOVA determined significant differences (p < . 001) between the means for each SOC for lack of time, social influence, lack of energy, lack of willpower, and lack of skill. Significant differences (p < . 001) existed between SOC and BBAQ score, as well as number of important barriers. Conclusions: HBCU interventions should address time management, energy, motivation, social support, and skill development to promote exercise and reduce barriers, especially among Black women.

Keywords:

• Barriers
• college students
• exercise
• HBCU
• physical activity
• stages of change

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University .

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

Data are not available due to ethical restrictions. Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data are not available.