Systematic Review on Reasons for the Lack of Exercise in Obese Adults

Objectives: The current study investigated the primary reasons obese adults still lack exercise and remain sedentary despite recognising its complication.
Methods: The electronic literature search was conducted on the EBSCOhost SPORTDiscus (1941 to 2023) database, and Google Scholar (2004-2023) database. The search identifies all articles containing the terms “obese” or “obesity” or “adults” or “exercise” or “lack”. Randomized control trial, control trial, cohort study was included.
Results: 39 publications were included. Studies suggested that physical injuries and feelings of discomfort while exercising and highly self-conscious of their body image, which leads to a loss of interest, confidence, and motivation to persist in physical activities. The lack of time and their accessibility to facilities or space for exercise contribute to low levels of physical activity as well. Improving a person’s psychological state helps increase their motivation to exercise. A realistic exercise plan for obese individuals to follow could maintain a higher level of physical activity and therefore improve their health and quality of life.
Conclusion: It is evident that having an effective support system can be the solution to obese adults’ inactive lifestyles. Improved psychological well-being can positively alter their mentality, and would allow obese individuals to re-engage in physical activities. A feasible exercise routine is recommended for obese adults since a realistic plan where regular physical activity is less likely to be overly challenging would be easier to follow. Additionally, educating family members of obese adults could help increase the chances of them having adequate physical activity.