Factors Affecting the Physical Activity of Female High School Students: A Grounded Theory Qualitative Study

Background: To prepare for future personal, family, and social responsibilities, young girls need to promote and maintain their health. Since physical activity has an effective role in maintaining women’s health, the present study aimed to examine the factors affecting the physical activity of female high school students.Methods: The participants in this qualitative grounded theory study were 20 female high school students living in District 20 in Tehran in 2021. The students were selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected using individual interviews and focus groups. The collected data were analyzed using the constant comparative method with MAXQDA-10 software.Results: The results showed that psychological, individual, environmental, educational, social, economic, and family factors were effective in the physical activity of female high school students. The identified factors were used to develop a conceptual model for the factors affecting the physical activity of female students. The extracted factors were further divided into some subcategories including sports facilities, gender discrimination, community management views on sports, physical health, interests, educational facilities, knowledge and information, time management, and women’s limitations.Conclusion: The findings from the present study showed that several factors can affect the physical activity of female students. These factors should be taken into account when developing and implementing educational interventions and plans to promote physical activity in female students.