Barriers to physical activity and socioeconomic position: implications for health promotion.

In the United Kingdom, levels of physical activity in the general population are low 1 and there is great potential for improving public health by promoting physical activity. 2 To achieve this health professionals need to have a good understanding of the principal barriers that operate and, in a UK study of people aged 16-74 years these included lack of time or recreational facilities, poor motivation, and ill health. 1 Barriers vary by age 1 3 and social class 3 but knowledge of variation with other measures of socioeconomic position is scarce. We studied the relation between perceived barriers to physical activity, socioeconomic position, and other social characteristics in men and women aged 16-74 years.