Prevalence and perceived barriers to physical activity among healthcare students: a cross-sectional study in the West Bank

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) contributes to disease prevention, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life. Despite these benefits, students in demanding academic tracks, such as medicine and allied health, often struggle to remain active. Evidence on PA patterns among healthcare students in Palestine is limited, although this group is expected to model healthy behaviors in their future practice. This study set out to examine how frequently students engage in PA, what forms it takes, and the barriers they encounter. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between February and July 2025 among 408 undergraduate healthcare students from four universities in the West Bank. Data were collected using an Arabic questionnaire adapted from the WHO Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Physical activity was classified as low, moderate, or high according to total MET-minutes/week. Associations with sex, academic year, and healthcare specialty were assessed using appropriate statistical tests. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was performed with high physical activity as the reference category. The primary finding was that 68.1% of healthcare students were classified as having high physical activity, while 22.5% had moderate and 9.3% had low physical activity according to WHO GPAQ criteria. Overall, 90.7% had moderate or high physical activity. Physical activity level differed significantly across healthcare specialties ( p  < 0.001), with medical students having lower total physical activity than nursing and physical therapy students in post-hoc comparisons. Healthcare specialty remained independently associated with physical activity level in multivariable analysis ( p  < 0.001), whereas sex and academic year were not. Although 76.5% reported engaging in at least one type of physical activity during a typical week, this measure differed from GPAQ-based classification. Lack of time was the most commonly reported challenge (65.4%). Males had higher total MET-minutes/week than females ( p  = 0.033), although sex was not associated with physical activity category. Most healthcare students had moderate or high PA levels, although substantial variation was observed across healthcare specialties. Medical students showed comparatively lower PA than several other specialty groups, while lack of time remained the most frequently reported challenge. These findings support specialty-sensitive strategies that facilitate physical activity within demanding academic schedules.