Strategies and best practices that enhance participation in regular physical activities among undergraduate university students: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity has health benefits, including lowered obesity, diabetes and hypertension levels. However, participation in regular physical activities among undergraduate students is declining and, instead, physical inactivity sets the path for sedentarism. Strategies and best practices used to enhance participation in regular physical activities among undergraduate students are beneficial for mitigating sedentariness and promoting healthy lifestyles. Therefore, this study aims to present a systematic review protocol that focuses on the strategies and best practices used to enhance participation in regular physical activities among undergraduate university students. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods design studies will be included and appraised. The following databases will be searched: PubMed, Science Direct, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Web of Science, SAGE, CINAHL Plus and SPORTDiscus. Database searches on physical activities among undergraduate university students will be generated to answer the following research question: What are the strategies and best practices used to enhance participation in regular physical activities among undergraduate university students? Two independent reviewers will conduct the primary screening of articles from 2011 to 2022. A third reviewer will be consulted to solve any disagreements. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and study quality will be assessed by the Johanna Biggs Institute checklist. Results from the selected articles will be extracted, summarised and categorised based on the type of study participants, study design and setting, and methodological quality. A narrative description will synthesise the findings to answer the objectives of this review. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval for this study was granted by the Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape, reference number: HS21/10/24. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentation.