Living with severe obesity: adults’ physical activity preferences, self-efficacy to overcome barriers and motives

Background

This study aimed to explore the preferences, self-efficacy to overcome barriers and motives for physical activity of individuals with severe obesity (body mass index ≥35 kg/m²).

Methods

44 adults with severe obesity (50.5 ± 13.3 years, 80% female) consented to participate in this study. Accelerometers, the 6-minute walking test, and questionnaires were used to collect data on participants’ sociodemographic and medical characteristics, physical fitness, physical activity behaviour, preferences for physical activity, self-efficacy to overcome physical activity barriers and motives for physical activity.

Results

A preference for walking (89%) and engaging in supervised physical activity (61%) at moderate intensity (46%) was reported. Most participants (71%) preferred engaging in physical activity outdoors for a duration of 30 to 60 min (84%), either in the morning (64%) or in the evening (48%). Participants had the lowest self-efficacy to overcome physical activity barriers when they had poor health and pain. The two most frequently reported physical activity motives were: preventing health problems and having better health.

Conclusions

A preference-based program focusing on health motives and addressing health and pain issues may help to promote physical activity behaviour among adults with severe obesity. Nevertheless, experimental studies are needed to determine if such strategies effectively increase physical activity behaviour in this population.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Physical activity preferences (i.e., walking, biking and swimming performed at a moderate intensity and outdoors for a duration of 30 minutes to 1 hour with supervision) can be used to enhance motivation in people with severe obesity.

• Addressing the main barriers of regular physical activity (e.g., poor health, pain, depression) could ensure better adherence to physical activity in people with severe obesity.

• Using motives of health improvement and health problems prevention could lead to increased physical activity in people with severe obesity.