Research Article
Perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Adolescents in Seven Arab Countries: A Cross-Cultural Study
Table 3
Perceived barriers to healthy eating among adolescents of seven Arab countries (female) (%).
| | 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 | 34.3 | 37.0 | 28.7 | 35.8 | 45.8 | 18.4 | 21.4 | 47.5 | 31.2 | 42.9 | 37.7 | 19.4 | 30.0 | 34.0 | 36.0 | 33.0 | 43.7 | 22.4 | 14.0 | 55.9 | 30.1 | | (2) Do not have motivation to eat a healthy diet | 23.0 | 23.4 | 53.6 | 21.6 | 38.0 | 40.4 | 24.2 | 38.8 | 40.0 | 22.0 | 31.1 | 46.9 | 31.0 | 30.0 | 39.0 | 20.3 | 36.3 | 43.5 | 17.5 | 51.1 | 31.4 | | (3) Do not enjoy eating healthy foods | 29.8 | 26.8 | 43.4 | 23.9 | 35.8 | 40.4 | 27.8 | 37.9 | 34.6 | 20.3 | 35.4 | 41.7 | 31.0 | 19.0 | 50.0 | 23.2 | 37.8 | 39.0 | 17.5 | 45.5 | 37.0 | | (4) Do not have skills to plan and shop for preparing or cooking healthy foods | 37.4 | 34.0 | 28.7 | 38.7 | 34.9 | 26.4 | 31.2 | 36.2 | 32.6 | 30.0 | 35.2 | 34.8 | 31.0 | 34.0 | 35.0 | 38.6 | 35.9 | 25.5 | 25.2 | 43.7 | 31.1 | | (5) Do not have access to healthy foods | 38.5 | 22.3 | 39.2 | 26.2 | 33.9 | 39.9 | 22.2 | 31.8 | 46.0 | 34.6 | 22.3 | 43.1 | 38.0 | 26.0 | 36.0 | 29.2 | 26.9 | 43.9 | 19.2 | 31.8 | 49.0 | | (6) Not able to buy healthy foods that are inexpensive | 11.7 | 22.3 | 66.0 | 5.6 | 18.4 | 75.9 | 5.1 | 18.5 | 76.4 | 07.7 | 20.9 | 71.4 | 21.0 | 22.0 | 57.0 | 10.7 | 25.3 | 63.9 | 4.9 | 15.0 | 80.1 |
| | (B) Social barriers to healthy eating | | (1) No parents’ support to eat a healthy diet | 08.3 | 10.2 | 81.5 | 9.8 | 20.5 | 69.7 | 10.7 | 23.3 | 66.0 | 12.6 | 19.1 | 68.3 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 74.0 | 10.9 | 16.8 | 72.3 | 8.7 | 22.4 | 68.9 | | (2) No friends’ support to eat a healthy diet | 32.1 | 26.4 | 41.5 | 17.6 | 36.2 | 46.2 | 19.7 | 23.3 | 57.0 | 32.0 | 28.0 | 40.0 | 16.0 | 26.0 | 59.0 | 22.8 | 30.2 | 47.0 | 19.2 | 37.8 | 43.0 | | (3) No teachers’ support to eat a healthy diet | 26.0 | 23.6 | 50.2 | 19.3 | 30.3 | 50.4 | 20.5 | 30.6 | 48.9 | 31.4 | 20.9 | 47.7 | 27.0 | 13.0 | 60.0 | 17.9 | 27.1 | 55.0 | 14.3 | 32.2 | 53.5 | | (4) Not having time to prepare or eat healthy foods because of school commitment | 50.9 | 31.3 | 17.7 | 32.0 | 38.1 | 29.9 | 40.4 | 32.6 | 27.0 | 37.1 | 36.3 | 26.6 | 48.0 | 35.0 | 17.0 | 41.3 | 36.3 | 22.4 | 36.0 | 37.8 | 26.2 |
|
|
Imp.: important barrier (%), Som.: somewhat important (%), and Not.: not a barrier (%).
|
