This study, therefore, provides a theoretical foundation to inform the development of bespoke interventions to increase physical activity among inactive university staff and students.
These findings suggest that several enablers and barriers influence university staff and students’ capability, opportunity, and motivation to engage in physical activity. The themes emerging from the group interviews fit into all 14 domains of the TDF however, 71% of the themes fit into the six most prominent domains.
Six prominent domains were identified from the group interviews as enablers and/or barriers to physical activity among university staff and students: Environmental context and resources intentions social influences knowledge beliefs about capabilities and social/professional role and identity. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and imported into NVivo12 software, responses were mapped using the TDF where theory-driven deductive content analysis was used for data analysis. Eight group interviews were conducted with the sample (n = 40) consisting of 6 male and 15 female university staff (mean age = 40.5 ± 10.6 years) with different job roles (e.g., academic, administrative, cleaning and catering staff), and 12 male and 7 female students (mean age = 28.6 ± 4.7 years) at different stages of study (e.g., undergraduate, postgraduate, and international students). This was a qualitative study carried out at a Midlands University in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study is to examine the perceived barriers and enablers to physical activity among staff and students in a university setting, using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), a precursor of COM-B behaviour model. University settings provide a stable environment where behaviour change interventions can be implemented across multiple levels of change. However, despite strong evidence indicating the health benefits of physical activity, many university staff and students tend to be physically inactive. Physical inactivity is one of the major risk factors for developing several chronic illnesses.