Understanding the Factors that Influence Physical Activity Promotion: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. Physical inactivity is one of the challenges that increases the chance of death from heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. Limited empirical research has been conducted on understanding the factors that can influence physical activity promotion. This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review to identify and examine the factors that influence physical activity promotion in physical education Material and Methods. A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to identify these factors. Results. Three databases were used in this SLR, i.e., ERIC, SCOPUS. Overall, 95 articles met the inclusion criteria, and factors’ data was extracted from these articles. Initially, 182 factors were identified from 95 articles. After applying the thematic analysis method, a final list of 15 factor categories was identified. The top 6 factors which can influence physical activity promotion are (1) qualified and experienced teachers, (2) design of competitive physical activity tasks, (3) fun in physical activities, (4) good student-teacher relation, (5) innovative curriculum, and (6) teamwork. In this paper, a list of guidelines has been provided that can assist in the implementation of these factors. Conclusions. Educational institutions must implement all top 6 factors in their curriculum for adequate physical activity promotion.