Introduction: Lack of regular physical activity is recognized as a global public health issue. Three out of every four adolescents do not adhere to physical activity recommendations. Thus, this systematic review will evaluate interventions employed to minimize barriers to physical activity among adolescents. Herein, we present the study protocol. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first systematic review to assess the interventions implemented to minimize barriers to the practice of physical activity among adolescents. A systematic understanding of the most effective interventions to reduce the barriers to physical activity is essential. Method and analysis: We will search five databases: two multidisciplinary (Scopus and Web of Science) and three other health-related databases (Embase, SPORTDiscus, and PubMed). The search will be limited to original peer-reviewed articles published in English, with no time restrictions. The search strategy will use MeSH terms and their variations to maximize the search strategy. Two reviewers will independently read the included articles, extract the data, and evaluate the methodological quality using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation scale and the risk of bias using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and Downs and Black scale. Discrepancies will be resolved by a third reviewer. This systematic review will follow the guidelines outlined in the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Discussion: The outcomes of this study are expected to enhance the current understanding of the obstacles to physical activity among adolescents and aid in the development or modification of programs to combat physical inactivity in this population. Consequently, these findings should have a positive impact on current and future adolescent health outcomes. Ethics and disclosure: Ethical approval will not be required for this study as it is an analysis of previously published articles (i.e., secondary data). The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022382174.

(1) Background: Physical inactivity is a major public health problem that affects a significant number of adolescents throughout the world. Attaining regular physical activity is a major challenge for adolescents who study full-time. This study aimed to examine the associations between barriers to physical activity, physical activity levels, and time exposed to sedentary behavior during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among adolescent full-time students at an institute of professional and technical education. (2) Methods: We employed mixed methods in this case study, which enrolled 119 adolescent students (52.9% of whom were female). More specifically, we applied the Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and conducted semi-structured interviews. Our statistical analysis was based on Poisson regression with robust variance, and our qualitative analysis was based on content analysis. (3) Results: The adolescents frequently presented with a “low” level of physical activity (44.4%, n = 52). The following barriers were associated with a low level of physical activity: lack of time (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.546; confidence interval (CI) 1.111–2.151), lack of motivation (PR 1.573; CI 1.102–2.245), preference for other activities (PR 1.521; CI 1.073–2.155), lack of facilities close to home (PR 1.576; CI 1.077–2.307), laziness (PR 1.463; CI 1.031–2.076), and no way of getting to a facility (PR 1.619; CI 1.005–2.606). (4) Conclusions: We observed that physical activity barriers in the psychological, cognitive, emotional, and environmental dimensions were associated with low levels of physical activity. The students reported that full-time study was a barrier to physical activity that contributed negatively to their physical activity levels and time exposed to sedentary behaviors.

This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of interventions used to minimize barriers to participation in physical activity (PA) among adolescents. This systematic literature review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Searches were conducted across five databases: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Thirty-four studies evaluated interventions to overcome barriers to participation in PA, with a focus on lack of motivation, encouragement, and support, as well as intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental barriers. Most interventions were conducted in developed countries, with an emphasis on girls, reflecting efforts to address health inequities. The interventions, conducted in schools, included workshops, training programs, lectures, goal setting, and practical activities, lasting from four weeks to four years. Twenty-seven studies (79.4%) reported positive impacts on PA participation, particularly in interventions addressing psychosocial, psychological, and behavioral barriers. The most effective interventions combined theory (through educational approaches) and practice (practical PA activities). These findings contribute to understanding barriers leading to physical inactivity and provide insights for developing or replicating initiatives to improve PA levels among adolescents.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to information about physical activity and its barriers can increase the level of physical activity and reduce the time exposed to sedentary behaviors in high school students involved in integrated professional and technological education during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This quasi experimental study was conducted with integrated education high school students, divided into two groups: Intervention Group (IG; n = 59) and Control Group (CG; n = 54). Physical activity and sedentary behavior were identified and measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire pre-and post-intervention for both groups. IG students received educational material thrice a week for four weeks. The focus of the material was the importance of physical activity and need to reduce the time exposed to sedentary behavior. The results revealed that IG students showed an average daily reduction of 47.14 min in time exposed to sedentary behaviors, while the CG students showed an increase of 31.37 min. Despite this, the intervention was not effective in improving physical activity levels in the IG and the mean reduction in the time exposed to sedentary behavior was not significant (p = 0.556). The intervention was ineffective in increasing the practice of physical activity and reducing the time exposed to sedentary behavior.