SynthesisSaudi medical journal2025
Physical activity levels among college students in Saudi Arabia.
Synthesis in Saudi medical journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal pain among university students in Saudi Arabia: an analytical cross-sectional study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Article
- Associations of physical activity, disordered eating, and depressive symptoms with academic performance among Saudi university students.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The Links Between Physical Activity, Metacognition, and Empathy Among Physiotherapy Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo synthesize the literature on Saudi college students physical activity (PA) levels, barriers, and facilitators, as well as the proportion of college students meeting WHO-recommended PA guidelines
methodsA comprehensive search strategy was developed, and the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus were searched for relevant studies. The systematic review protocol was registered in PROSPERO and the PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed. Studies that enrolled Saudi college students and reported PA levels, barriers to PA, facilitators of PA, or adherence to WHO PA recommendations were included. Reviews, animal studies, and conference proceedings were excluded. The quality of the studies was assessed with a relevant study quality assessment tools and data were extracted and synthesized from all the included studies.
resultsA total of 44 studies were included, with a combined sample of 29,580 students. Most of these studies used cross-sectional designs and self-reported PA levels using various scales, with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire being the most common one. The results show that a substantial proportion of students exhibited low PA levels, with only 27% meeting WHO-recommended PA cutoffs. The barriers to engaging in PA included lack of time, motivation, and facilities, while the facilitators comprised health benefits, social support, and weight management.
conclusionPhysical activity levels among Saudi university students are concerningly low, with many failing to meet the WHO-recommended PA cutoffs. Barriers such as time constraints and limited resources must be addressed through culturally tailored interventions, improved infrastructure, and awareness campaigns. Future scholars should conduct longitudinal studies and employ objective measures of PA to further inform public-health policy.
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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.