The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Exercise-Related Health Beliefs, Barriers to Exercise and Postural Habits in University Students

Background This study examines whether exercise-related health beliefs, perceived barriers to exercise, and habitual postural behaviors differ across physical activity levels in university students. Understanding these differences can identify behavioral and ergonomic targets for promoting musculoskeletal health and sustaining physical activity. Methods This cross-sectional study included 244 university students from a vocational school in Turkey. Participants were recruited via voluntary in-class announcements. Validated self-report instruments were employed for data collection. Physical activity was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form -Short Form, exercise barriers with the Physical Activity Barriers Scale, exercise-related health beliefs with the Health Belief Model Scale for Exercise, and postural status with the Postural Habits and Awareness Scale. Results The 244 participants demonstrated similar distributions of age, gender, body mass index, and height across the different physical activity groups. However, significant differences emerged in personal barriers, total exercise barriers, and persistence and total scores of the Health Belief Model Scale, with students in the high activity group reporting fewer barriers and stronger persistence and belief scores compared to low and moderate groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in postural habits and awareness (p > 0.05). Conclusion The study found that more active students held stronger convictions about the benefits of exercise and perceived fewer obstacles to being active. However, postural awareness and habits did not vary significantly with activity level.