Trial reportPloS one2022
Motivations, barriers and exercise preferences among female undergraduates: A need assessment analysis.
Trial report in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Barriers to physical activity in women from ethnic minority groups: a systematic review.BMC women's health · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Key influences on university students' physical activity: a systematic review using the Theoretical Domains Framework and the COM-B model of human behaviour.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Determinants of physical activity among Chinese college students: a COM-B and TDF-based qualitative study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The effects of resistance exercise snacks via a mobile health app on musculoskeletal strength in sedentary young women: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Exercise empowerment: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental physical activity interventions.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Review
- Co-Creating Strategies and Recommendations to Enhance the Physical Activities of Undergraduate Students at a South African University: A Social Ecological Approach.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Young people's perspectives on integrating physical activity interventions into youth substance use treatment practice: a mixed-methods study.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2025Article
- Voices in Motion: Using I-Poems to Uncover Undergraduate University Students' Psychosocial Journey and Physical Activity Behaviours.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Southeast Asian, African, and Middle East Expert Consensus on Structured Physical Activity-Dance, Exercise, and Sports.Advances in therapy · 2025Review
- Female-friendly residential facilities and living satisfaction: evidence from Yangpu District, Shanghai.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Factors influencing regular exercise in young women: a survey study assessing the preferences and motivators for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2025Article
- Self-Efficacy for Exercise in Adults with Lifetime Depression and Low Physical Activity.Psychiatry research communications · 2024Article
- Review
- Effects of a 12-week walking intervention on circulating lipid profiles and adipokines in normal weight and abdominal obese female college students.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2023Article
- Cognitive Benefits of Physical Exercise, Physical-Cognitive Training, and Technology-Based Intervention in Obese Individuals with and without Postmenopausal Condition: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe decreasing level of physical activity among female undergraduates is worrying as it is associated with the increased risk of non-communicable diseases. Thus, this study aimed to identify the motivations, barriers and preferences towards exercise among female undergraduates in Malaysia.
methodsA non-probability purposive sampling was used for the recruitment process. The inclusion criteria of the participants were registered female undergraduates and aged between 18-30 years old. A semi-structured in-depth interview was used to collect topic-related information from the participants and signed consents were obtained prior to the interview. The interview questions were on respondents' understanding of exercise, motivation and barriers to exercise, and exercise preferences. The recruitment process was conducted until the data was saturated. All interviews were audio recorded and manually transcribed verbatim. NVivo 11 was used to conduct the inductive analysis of the data to develop themes for motivation and barriers to exercise. For exercise preferences, four predetermined themes were used.
findingsA total of 26 respondents participated in this study. Eight themes were found for motivation to exercise, with the most common themes being maintaining or improving appearance, health benefits and togetherness. For barriers of exercising, five themes were found, and the most common ones were disliking exercise and no motivation. For exercise preferences, most respondents preferred a structured exercise program with flexibility in terms of when and where the exercise could be conducted. Light or moderate intensity exercise for 10-30 minutes with a frequency of 1-2 times a week was desired the most among the respondents.
conclusionIn conclusion, personal and environmental factors play important roles in motivating or hampering female undergraduates to exercise, and a structured program was the preferred mode of exercise of these respondents. A new exercise module was designed based on this needs assessment with a 70% acceptance rate among the participants. These findings can help the future development of more exercise modules tailored to female university students.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.