Objective:

To report the barriers perceived by adolescents to engage in physical activity in their free time and compare them according to gender and physical activity level.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 with a representative sample of 1518 adolescents. Barriers and level of physical activity were assessed using validated instruments. Adolescents were separated into three groups: inactive, insufficiently active and active.

Results:

Girls reported most frequently: "not having company" (33.2%; 34.9%; 31.9%) and "laziness" (30.0%; 38.7%; 31.3%), for inactive, insufficiently active and active groups, respectively. "Finds it boring", "climate" and "can't afford it" presented statistical differences between the groups. Physically inactive children most often reported: "not having someone to drive them" (30.8%), "laziness" and "not having company" (30.1%, both); for the insufficiently active "not having company" (37.6%) and "weather" (38.6%). The active ones reported "lack of places" (38.7%) and "no one to carry him/her" (36.2%). Only the "lack of motivation" barrier showed a significant difference.

Conclusion:

"Not having company" and "laziness" were the barriers most often cited by girls in all groups. Insufficiently active girls showed significant differences for: "finds it boring", "weather" and "can't afford it". Boys reported most often the barriers: "no one to carry him", "laziness", "not having company", "weather", and "lack of places". When the different physical activity groups were compared, only the barrier "lack of motivation" showed a significant difference in boys.