SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Physical Activity in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Systematic Overview.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Intervening Early in the Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: Expert Recommendations from the United Arab Emirates on the Management of Prediabetes.Vascular health and risk management · 2026Guideline
- Interventions on Barriers to the Participation of Adolescents in Physical Activity: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- The epidemiology of unintentional falls among older people in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- Physical activity, screen time, dietary habits, and health outcomes among children and adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa region: a narrative review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review on the associations between the built environment and adult's physical activity in global tropical and subtropical climate regions.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2024Pooled it
- The Use of Mobile Technologies to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Behaviors in the Middle East and North Africa Region: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Sleep disorders and associated factors among medical students in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Back care education Programme among school children: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.BMC pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Full-Day Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Levels of Typically Developing Children and Adolescents in the Middle East: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Barriers to high school and university students' physical activity: A systematic review.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of physically active children and adults worldwide: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- A pragmatic multi-setting lifestyle intervention to improve leisure-time physical activity from adolescence to young adulthood: the vital role of sex and intervention onset time.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Trial
- Nutrition transitions, obesity and T2DM in the Middle East and North Africa.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Article
- Facilitators and barriers to participation in physical activity among older adults: a community-based study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Insufficient physical activity and diabetes mellitus prevalence in Iran: an estimated population attributable fraction analysis using STEPS 2021 data.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Handgrip strength and physical activity intensity levels in Emirati female college students.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Measuring gross motor skills in African children using the PERF-FIT.Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Exercise Perceptions, Barriers, and Self-Efficacy Among Adults in Kuwait During the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Physical Activity Indicators Among Children and Adolescents in Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates: Comparative Synthesis of Active Healthy Kids Report Card Data From 1998 to 2022.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2026Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Increasing physical inactivity levels in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a public health concern. We aimed to synthesize barriers and facilitators to physical activity and make appropriate recommendations to address physical inactivity. We conducted an overview of systematic reviews on physical activity barriers and facilitators in 20 MENA countries by systematically searching MEDLINE/PubMed and Google Scholar for systematic reviews published between 2008 and 2020. Our overview included four systematic reviews and 119 primary studies with data from 17 MENA countries. Lack of suitable sports facilities, time, social support and motivation, gender and cultural norms, harsh weather, and hot climate were the most commonly reported barriers to physical activity. Socio-demographic factors negatively associated with physical activity participation include advanced age, being female, less educated, and being married. Motivation to gain health benefits, losing/maintaining weight, being male, dietary habits, recreation, and increased Body Mass Index are positively associated with increased levels of physical activity. Interventions promoting physical activity in MENA should target schoolchildren, women and girls, working parents, and the elderly. Country-specific sociocultural and environmental factors influencing physical activity should be considered in the design of interventions. Current and future policies and national interventions must be consistently evaluated for effectiveness and desired outcomes.
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Registered trials
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