Influence of age, maternity and employment in barriers to practicing physical activity and sport for Spanish adult women

Abstract

The objectives of the present paper were to analyze the age and occupation type related to employment and maternity influencing Spanish adult women’s barriers to practice. A quantitative methodology based on the use of the survey was applied to a representative sample of 1,731 Spanish adult women (between 30 and 64 years old) who filled out a questionnaire based on the Bronfenbrenner´s bioecological theory with individual items, occupation maternity-household, occupation employment-time and physical activity and sport provision through a personal interview. The results showed a multivariate effect of the occupation on the occupation-employment and time barriers (“I can´t generate time for myself”, “employment” and “incompatible timetables”). The adult women who combine maternity and employment perceived the three barriers mentioned to a greater extent. Also, there was found a multivariate effect of age and occupation, and of the interaction, on the occupation maternity-household barriers (“I have to take care of my children” and “I have to do the housework”). The adult mothers, employed or unemployed, perceived maternity as a barrier to a greater degree. In employed women who are not mothers, household chores as a barrier showed a higher prevalence in those over fifty years old. These findings should be considered for designing innovations and tailoring interventions in the field of physical activity and sport to fit these targeted groups of adult women.