“Not Everybody Enjoys Physical Activity”: A Qualitative Social Media Study of the Barriers Experienced by Autistic Adults

Physical activity (PA) has been suggested as a key modifier for many health concerns amongst autistic adults, yet engagement remains low compared to non-autistic peers. Numerous barriers, including lack of motivation, have been suggested as rationale for this reduced engagement. However, first-hand experiences of autistic adults remain elusive within the literature. A qualitative descriptive methodology utilised the social media platform Twitter/X to explore how autistic adults experience PA. A total of 30 questions were administered over six asynchronous discussions, and 125 tweeted responses were collected from 10 autistic individuals. Three main themes emerged from the collected data: support from others is important; it needs to be measurable; and it’s just not worth it. Participants demonstrated detailed understanding of the benefits of being physically active; however, engaging in PA proved difficult due to inaccessible environments, sensory overload, and inappropriate support from individuals outside family or close friends.