Investigating the barriers to participation in student sports activities during the home quarantine period of the COVID virus_19

Identifying barriers to sports participation during corona outbreaks is essential to enhance student participation in sports activities. The present study examined the barriers to participation in sports activities during the home quarantine of the Covid_19 virus (second semester 98-99 students of Qom University).

This research is a descriptive-analytical and survey type and has been done as an online call. The statistical population included all students in the second semester of 98-99. Finally, 200 people participated in this study as a sample and answered the questionnaire. The questionnaire was a five-point Likert scale whose face and content validity was confirmed by 12 professors of sports management and its reliability was calculated in a pilot study using Cronbach's alpha (0.82) from heuristic orthogonal rotation factor analysis to identify factors. Used in the exploratory factor analysis, out of 21 questions in the barrier questionnaire, 21 questions with appropriate factor loading were divided into four factors: environmental, psychological, intrapersonal and time constraints.

Environmental factor with an average of 26.90 was the most important factor and time limit with an average of 9.87 was the least important factor. The factors obtained in this study were determined based on the following criteria: a) Initial knowledge of the number of factors based on article review, b) Selection of factors based on specific values greater than 1, c) Using the criterion to describe variance e) Ability to understand adapted factors.

Paying attention to the factors (obstacles) identified in this research and removing them can provide the ground for more students to participate in sports activities during the home quarantine of the Covid_19 virus or other similar conditions.