Physical activity and perceived barriers among highschool students in Muscat, Oman

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2011 to study the patterns and determinants of physical activity among 439 secondary-school students in Muscat governorate based on a self-administered questionnaire. Half of the students (52.9%) were enrolled in physical education classes and 95.9% reported afterschool physical activities. The recommended level of physical activity (≥ 1680 MET minutes/week) was met by 23.9% of students, being significantly lower among girls (9.8%) than boys (38.8%). More girls were in the stages of pre-contemplation (5.8%) and contemplation (26.7%) of adopting exercise while more boys were in the action (15.4%) and maintenance stages (36.0%). Girls reported significantly more barriers to exercise, related to lack of energy, interest in other activities, lack of encouragement, worries about looks, and time constraints from academic responsibilities and family obligations. The full model logistic regression revealed that boys, 11th-grade students and attempts to regulate weight significantly predicted physical activity meeting the recommended levels.