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What are the perceived barriers and facilitators to attending the gym
for first-year undergraduate students in the UK?

Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology

Module code – M30066

Module coordinator – Chloe Ryder

UP2197989

Hand-in date – Friday 1st March (noon)

Word Count – 1250 (maximum)

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Introduction

This study explores the factors that facilitate and hinder undergraduate UK students’
attendance at the gym. This study aimed to gain insight into the complex factors that
undergraduate students face. Understanding the barriers and facilitators more in-depth is
essential for benefitting healthier lifestyles among this demographic. Regular physical
activity is crucial for maintaining overall health and mental well-being among undergraduate
students, by studying these factors, strategies and enhanced support systems can be developed
to promote regular gym attendance for undergraduate students in the UK. Overall, this study
aimed to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators of attending the gym for
undergraduate students in the UK.

Method

A qualitative methodology was used to interpret and collect data because it allowed the two
interviewees to inform the study with an in-depth and first-person view of the barriers and
facilitators to attending the gym as students. Two 18-year-old female participants participated
in a 15-minute interview on Microsoft Teams (v24). The two female participants were chosen
as they fit the criteria for the research question accurately because they were both first-year
undergraduate university students and had been facing barriers and facilitators to attending
the gym. Griffiths et al. (2020) used the same technique to collect data via qualitative
interviews and then used thematic analysis to break down the transcript.

Before the interview was recorded, both participants were asked for their informed consent to
identify that they were okay while taking part and being recorded in a 15-minute interview.
They were also aware of their legal and ethical obligations.

The interviewees answered a series of questions arranged into subcategories: the background
of the interviewees, the perceived barriers they faced, the perceived facilitators they had, and
how they balanced other commitments.

The interviews were transcribed to ensure that all the responses from the interviewees were
accurate and logged. Thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2012) was then used to analyse
these themes and the data collected to arrange them into different categories resulting in the
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collection of quality and reliable data. Using thematic analysis, the researchers were
familiarized with the data. Then, the data were used to generate codes that highlighted
specific words and segments of the interview. Once themes were found throughout these
highlighted segments, they were defined and named to ensure clarity and quality of the data.

This study consists of quality research that contributes to the understanding of the research
questions. Methodological robustness, correct and suitable participant selection, and detailed
informed consent procedures following ethical guidelines influenced the quality and
reliability of the study. The data collection process was accurate and reliable as it followed an
orderly procedure throughout the coding and transcription of the interview. Thematic analysis
(Clarke & Braun, 2012) provided further reliability and quality to the data collection process
by providing a reliable method to identify common themes from participants’ real-life
experiences.

Results

In this study, three themes were identified using thematic analysis (Clarke and Braun, 2012).

One of the themes identified from the interview transcript was the time constraints faced by

both interviewees, which mainly stemmed from their timetables being heavily impacted by

having to attend lessons as well as having to do university coursework. This theme came

from the question “How does your academic attendance impact your ability to commit to a

regular gym plan?” The theme was identified from the transcript and coded into quotations.

The quotation from the first participant was “I would say, since the classes have been a bit

full on lately, it has been quite difficult to maintain my regular attendance at the gym and fit it

into my schedule.” This quote can be used to identify the time constraints faced by both

interviewees. The fact that she stated that it was hard to fit her schedule implies that she faces

time constraints when attending the gym. This was also identified in the other participant,

allowing for a theme to be noticed through the quote “It is very difficult, as sometimes I have

lectures all day, this can make it hard for me to fit going to the gym into my schedule,

especially when the gym is usually booked out throughout the evening”. This quote stemmed

from the same question, and both answers from each participant stated that they faced time
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constraints when wanting to attend the gym due to university attendance. Another quote that

was coded and identified was “It is hard to balance everything when I have lectures, labs,

coursework, assessments, all while I am trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by cooking my

food and maintaining my nutrition”. These three quotes have identified the theme of time

constraints between the two participants and have outlined the fact that their university

timetable and other commitments have influenced time constraints and posed a barrier to

their participation in the gym. This data can be used to implement changes in UK student

timetables, which would result in healthier lifestyles among all students in the UK, as they

would be able to attend the gym and participate in regular physical activity. Another theme

identified through the transcript was the lack of motivation faced by both participants. This

lack of motivation is mainly derived from being exhausted from other day-to-day activities to

which they commit. This theme was identified from the question, “Are there any specific

issues that make it difficult to prioritize your gym attendance?”. The first interviewee said,

“Sometimes I just do not have the motivation to get myself out of bed and to go to the gym.”

This quote shared the theme of lack of motivation with another quote from the other

interviewee “I would say it is hard to make a balance because coursework and other

mandatory things bring me down and make me feel less motivated to get myself up and go to

the gym.” Both quotes show the lack of motivation between the two participants. To look

more into this and identify the facilitators the question “What factors drive you to prioritize

your attendance at the gym?” was asked to identify how they coped with the theme of lack of

motivation. The first interviewee replied, ‘I would say my friends help a lot with that, they

keep me motivated to go to the gym and it is very helpful for me, and it makes the whole

experience more fun.’ This then related to the other interviewee's views through the quote “I

would also say my friends help a lot with my motivation to go to the gym as I have a sense of

not wanting to let them down, so I stay motivated to join them at the gym instead of not
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going.” These two quotes both identify the theme that their social lives and friends are

important facilitating themes for them attending the gym between both interviewees.

Conclusion –

This study aimed to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators of first-year university
students in the UK. A 15-minute interview was conducted and followed all ethical guidelines;
it was then turned into a transcript and analysed using thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun,
2012), and themes were identified and then shown through quotes from each participant in
the interview. Quotes were also used to identify what could be changed, as well as the
perceived facilitators for them attending the gym. In conclusion, this study confidently
outlined the perceived barriers and facilitators to attending the gym as first-year
undergraduate university students in the UK.

Interview appendix

0:23:2.370 --> 0:23:10.830

Researcher
“How does your academic attendance impact your ability to commit to a regular gym plan?”
0:23:12.510 --> 0:23:23.810
Participant 1
“I would say, since the classes have been a bit full on lately, it has been quite difficult to
maintain my regular attendance at the gym and fit it into my schedule.”
0:23:45.880 --> 0:23:47.190
Researcher
Okay, and for you?
0:23:47.810 --> 0:23:49.30
Participant 2
“It is very difficult, as sometimes I have lectures all day, this can make it hard for me to fit
going to the gym into my schedule, especially when the gym is usually booked out
throughout the evening”.
0:17:42.40 --> 0:17:49.800
Researcher
Can you describe any challenges that you may face when you're attending the gym regularly
as a student?
0:17:52.980 --> 0:18:5.140
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Participant 1
“It is hard to balance everything when I have lectures, labs, coursework, and assessments, all
while I am trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by cooking my food and maintaining my
nutrition”.
0:18:01.231 --> 0:18:03.103
Researcher
“Are there any specific issues that make it difficult to prioritize your gym attendance?”
0:18:05.641 --> 0:18:07.948
Participant 1
‘Sometimes I just do not have the motivation to get myself out of bed and to go to the gym.’
0:18:08.425 --> 0:18:12.910
Participant 2
“I would say it is hard to make a balance because coursework and other mandatory things
bring me down and make me feel less motivated to get myself up and go to the gym.”
0:28:51.920 --> 0:29:03.659
Researcher
“What factors drive you to prioritize your attendance at the gym?”
0:29:8.380 --> 0:29:13.534
Participant 1
‘I would say my friends help a lot with that, they keep me motivated to go to the gym and it is
very helpful for me, and it makes the whole experience more fun.’
0:31:25.524 --> 0:36:08.415
Participant 2
“I would also say my friends help a lot with my motivation to go to the gym as I have a sense
of not wanting to let them down, so I stay motivated to join them at the gym instead of not
going.”

References

Kerry Griffiths, Richard Moore & Julie Brunton (2022) Sport and physical activity habits,
behaviours and barriers to participation in university students: an exploration by socio-
economic group, Sport, Education, and Society, 27:3, 332-346, DOI:
10.1080/13573322.2020.1837766
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Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A.
T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology,
Vol. 2. Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp.
57–71). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004