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Background: The purpose of this study was to identify and determine the influence of perceived intrinsic barriers to physical activity among mothers living in rural areas.

Methods: Mothers were identified through a study of child-parent dyads in the predominantly rural states of New Hampshire and Vermont. Using a telephone interview, we asked mothers (n = 1691) about their level of physical activity and assessed eight potential barriers to physical activity. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests, t tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) comparisons for groups within each variable. We used multiple regression analysis to assess associations between perceived barriers to physical activity and self-reported levels of physical activity.

Results: Each barrier was inversely associated with physical activity. Multivariate models that included terms for all potential barriers and covariates identified three barriers …