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This study aimed to develop scenarios of Iranians’ future participation in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). To this end, 12 experts in the field of leisure, sociology, and sport management were invited to take part. The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was used to organize and analyze the data collected in a questionnaire featuring a pairwise comparison of 18 indicators of LTPA which were drawn from the relevant literature. The DEMATEL was then used to determine the critical uncertainties of the future participation in leisure-time physical activities. Considering the two most important critical uncertainties from economic and technological dimensions, four possible futures around Iranians’ participation in these activities were created. By taking the uncertainties into consideration, decision-makers can contribute to the promotion in LTPA in the best and most efficient manner by having knowledge about the most influential framing factors of possible futures.

Physical activity can contribute to societal health and prevent antisocial behaviors. This study explored the driving forces facilitating these goals in Iran’s socio-cultural context. Through a literature review, investigation of available political documents, interviews with experts and consensus of the research team, seventy-three driving forces were explored from different domains and then categorised via the STEEPV framework. This framework considers drivers from Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic, Political, and Value/Cultural dimensions. The “sport/sport sciences” domain was also considered as an additional domain. In the next step, a questionnaire with an answer scale of 1 to 7 was distributed among experts. The fuzzy Delphi method was used to analyse the collected data. Results showed eighteen drivers from five domains (social, environmental, economic, technological and sport/sports sciences) dramatically influenced leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in Iran. “Physical activity opportunities for vulnerable groups” was identified as the most important driver for participation in LTPA. Results suggest the need for a multidimensional and thorough consideration by organisations, leisure managers and policymakers to discover methods to promote health-related physical activities in the future.

A large number of students do not exercise their recommended daily physical activities to achieve the health benefits related to the physical activity. Self-determination theory can provide a framework for investigating the students’ motivational processes in physical activity. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming at identifying the personal factors (needs and motivational factors) affecting the physical activity of students of Medical Sciences University of Iran on the basis of self-determination theory. The method is a qualitative research of content analysis type conducted by a deductive approach. Participants included a wide range of Iranian experts in the field of physical activity as well as the University students and the theoretical saturation was achieved by conducting 21 interviews personally with experts and 2 focus groups with students. Samples were selected by snowball sampling method and students by simple random sampling method, then divided into the focus groups. Interviews were collected in semi-structured form by enjoying the theory constructs. While collecting, data were simultaneously analysed manually. Findings reflected the identified themes of SDT levels and with regards to the remarks given by participants on reviewing the needs and motivations affecting the students’ physical activity, 11 main categories were elucidated; i.e. pleasurable social interactions, physical and anatomic capabilities, successful history of physical activity, understanding the self-efficacy, choice limiting and predisposing features, gaining pleasure, improved status of physical and mental status, social cognition, financial reward and perceived personal barriers, and also 35 subcategories were also identified as below, which were incorporated on the main levels of self-determination theory. Hence, the self-determination theory can be applied as an appropriate framework for investigating the motivational levels and facilitating the students’ physical activity to plan and implement the proper general interventions.

Increase in people participation in Sport for all has always been considered by policy makers. This paper aims to present a model to institutionalize sport for all of Iran. For this purpose, researchers referred to the experts of the sport for all of Iran and collected data from them through deep interviews. Then, the data resulted from twenty-nine interviews were encoded and analyzed through grounded theory method. The results of codes classification showed sixteen components at the three contextual, organizational, and behavioral levels. According to the sport for all of Iran model, it can be noted that the contextual level of sport for all of Iran, in which the other two levels are rooted, includes external environment and conditions, and generally leads to organizational and behavioral levels. The presented model can be used as the analytical tool for sport for all of Iran so that it would solve problems of this field of sport reasonably and principally.