Sport Participation, Lifestyle Habits and Determinants of Female Students from Jordan- A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

University or college is a crucial period when students often develop behaviors that led to unhealthy lifestyles accompanied by decreased physical activity (PA) and sports participation. The first objective of this study was to investigate sport participation and lifestyle habits among female university students. Secondly, we aimed to identify potential determinants towards participation in sports and PA. Lastly, the study garnered productive ideas and recommendations to maximize student’s participation in sports and PA. Using a semi-structured focus group guided by seven questions, nine interviews were conducted on N=90 Jordanian female university students. Participants were invited from a variety of study disciplines, with a mean age of 18 ± 0.24 years. Data were analysed (inductive thematic approach) using manual methods, highlighting that 56.7% of students did not participate in any form of PA. Furthermore, the analysis identified four prominent barriers which prevented students from participating in sports and PA: lack of time, lack of sports facilities and clubs, religion and culture, negative attitudes toward sports, accessibility. Additionally, our study discovered that all the female students possess smartphones, of which 43.2% (> 6 hours) and 16.2% (between 4-6 hours) used social media/day. In conclusion, this study recommends that the university administration should prioritize the awareness for PA among students and develop adequate strategies to refrain oneself from using excessive social media using smartphones.