Perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Adolescents in Seven Arab Countries: A Cross-Cultural Study

Table 2

Perceived barriers to healthy eating among adolescents of seven Arab countries (male) (%).

Barriers	Algeria			Jordan			Kuwait			Libya			Palestine			Syria			UAE
	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.	Imp.	Som.	Not.
(A) Personal and environmental barriers to healthy eating
(1) Do not have enough information about a healthy diet	25.6	40.5	33.8	26.7	44.8	30.5	32.5	41.9	25.6	22.9	49.6	27.5	30.7	21.6	47.7	27.2	46.5	26.4	25.6	49.9	25.5
(2) Do not have motivation to eat a healthy diet	27.7	25.6	46.7	21.0	33.5	45.5	22.7	40.9	36.4	16.1	33.2	50.7	25.5	23.5	51.0	20.5	37.2	42.3	19.2	40.2	40.6
(3) Do not enjoy eating healthy foods	22.1	35.4	42.6	21.7	33.7	44.6	21.7	46.2	32.2	17.5	33.6	48.7	29.4	31.4	39.2	16.5	38.0	45.5	24.4	39.1	36.5
(4) Do not have skills to plan and shop for preparing or cooking healthy foods	36.4	31.3	32.3	34.1	36.9	29.0	31.1	42.7	26.2	38.9	33.9	27.2	27.5	23.5	49.0	40.4	36.6	22.9	31.2	37.6	31.2
(5) Do not have access to healthy foods	36.9	19.5	43.6	23.8	31.1	45.1	25.8	44.8	29.4	25.4	24.3	50.3	35.3	33.3	31.4	24.9	35.0	40.0	22.2	35.7	42.1
(6) Not able to buy healthy foods that are inexpensive	20.5	20.5	59.0	10.3	22.7	67.0	18.9	32.9	48.3	11.4	20.0	68.6	27.5	21.6	50.9	15.1	29.6	55.3	9.8	20.7	69.5
(B) Social barriers to healthy eating
(1) No parents’ support to eat a healthy diet	11.3	15.4	73.3	6.9	21.2	71.9	17.5	37.1	45.5	05.7	16.4	77.9	15.7	19.6	64.7	07.6	23.1	69.2	12.0	21.1	66.9
(2) No friends’ support to eat a healthy diet	32.3	26.7	41.0	18.5	30.0	51.5	21.7	37.1	41.2	22.5	30.0	47.5	19.6	17.6	62.8	20.5	34.8	44.7	19.2	39.1	41.7
(3) No teachers’ support to eat a healthy diet	29.2	25.1	45.6	23.8	27.0	49.2	32.5	40.2	29.3	33.6	22.5	43.9	31.4	05.9	62.7	21.9	29.4	48.7	20.3	30.5	49.2
(4) Not having time to prepare or eat healthy foods because of school commitment	43.1	32.3	24.6	23.6	30.9	45.5	36.4	35.0	28.7	31.8	33.6	34.6	23.5	41.2	35.3	33.2	37.8	29.0	31.6	30.8	37.6

Imp.: important barrier (%), Som.: somewhat important (%), and Not.: not a barrier (%).