Barriers to a healthy diet and physical activity in Mexican adults:results from the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey

This study aims to (1) identify the most prevalent perceived barriers for healthy eating and performing physical activity among adults in Mexico; and (2) determine the association between perceived barriers, with body mass index (BMI) categories, geo-demographic and socio-economic characteristics. We carried out a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of publicly available data from the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey 2016. We extracted data from 6406 adults, aged 20–65 years, including: perceived barriers for healthy eating and for performing physical activity, BMI, residence area, region of Mexico, sex, age and socio-economic status. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between perceived barriers with the categories of obesity, geographic and socio-demographic variables. Seventy-four point nine percent of the respondents were categorised as having either overweight or obesity, 80.5% reported at least one barrier to healthy eating and 78.3% at least one barrier to performing physical activity. Of the listed barriers, the most reported barriers were ‘lack of affordability’ (58.6%) for healthy eating and ‘lack of time’ (51.2%) for performing physical activity. Females (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.46) and people with obesity (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.41) were more likely to report barriers to a healthy diet; and females (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.59), people with obesity (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.69) and those living in rural areas (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.72) were more likely to report barriers to performing physical activity. There was a high prevalence of reported barriers for healthy eating and performing physical activity. Females, people with obesity, and those living in rural areas are more likely to report barriers for healthy eating and for performing physical activity. Targeted health programmes and tailored interventions that address the barriers to a healthy lifestyle that these groups experience may encourage healthier lifestyle behaviours in a greater proportion of Mexican adults.