Identification and Prioritization of Strategies to Tackle the Barriers of Youth Engagement in Public Sports and Health Based on ANP Method in Mashhad

Public sport as a low-cost and fun but effective tool can be part of the daily life plan of the people that can function for the general public in terms of individual and social characteristics, and, in particular, contribute significantly to the promotion of physical, psychological and social health of the youth.

In this causal-comparative study, experts in the field of public sport and health were consulted. 30 public sport and health activists including coaches and staff of the sports board as well as university professors and 10 professors of physical education and health were selected through interviews. Then, the data obtained were analyzed by Lambda method and the design of matrix tables for paired comparisons of final weights of barriers and sub-barriers, using the AHP method and the ranking of barriers and sub-barriers by ANP method at the level of p

Among the proposed solutions for management barriers, the decision to approve the plan by the deputies was the first priority for the Ministry of Health and Treatment to create sports spaces. Among the solutions presented for social-cultural barriers, the agreement to exchange media coverage of women's sports activities and increase knowledge and awareness were first and foremost for women and men. Also, parents' justification of positive effects of exercise and health on improving mental performance for personal-familial barriers was given the priority.