Barriers and Facilitators for Adherence to Physical Activity Recommendations among Adults and Children in a Multi-Site Cross- Sectional Study JPHSM: Volume 2: Issue 1, February-2019: Page No: 18-30 Page: 18 www.raftpubs.com Journal of Physical Health and Sports Medicine Research Article Open Access Barriers and Facilitators for Adherence to Physical Activity Recommendations among Adults and Children in a Multi-Site Cross- Sectional Study Theresa Nicklas 1* , Debbe Thompson 1 and Yan Liu 2 1 Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children Nutrition Research Center, Bates Avenue, Houston, TX. USA 2 Medicine-Gastroenterology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. USA *Correspondig Author: Theresa Nicklas. DRPH, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 1100 Bates Avenue, Houston, Texas 77030, USA, Tel: 713-798-7087; Email: tnicklas@bcm.edu Received Date: Jan 31, 2019 / Accepted Date: Feb 06, 2019 / Published Date: Feb 08, 2019 Abstract: Qualitative research on barriers and facilitators to meeting the physical activity recommendations (PAR) among adults and children are limited. Most studies focused on correlates of children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior. The goal of this research was to examine the barriers and facilitators to following federal PAR among adults and children enrolled in a multi-site study. Adult’s reported barriers included lack of motivation (interest), time, and competing life demands. Although financial constraints were a reported barrier, the predominant barrier was chaotic life events that limited time available to adhere to the PAR. Children reported competing activities, health and psychological limitations as barriers to meeting the PAR. Adults perceived health benefits as a facilitator to being physically active. And children reported peer support and ways to be physically active as facilitators. Barriers and facilitators to following PAR reported by adults and children should be taken into consideration when designing interventions. Keywords: Physical activity/Exercise; Recommendations for physical activity; Barriers; Facilitators; Adults; Children Cite this article as: Theresa N, Debbe T, Yan Liu. 2019. Barriers and Facilitators for Adherence to Physical Activity Recommendations among Adults and Children in a Multi-Site Cross-Sectional Study. J Phy Hea Spt Med. 2: 18-30. Copyright: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright © 2019; Theresa N Introduction Physical activity is a component of the energy balance equation. The current recommendation is that children and adolescents up to age 17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day [1,2]. Adults ages 18-65 should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity on five days of the week [1,2]. Only 21.6% of 6 to 19- year-old children and adolescents in the United