Towards a Behavioural Systems Map of the University System in Relation to Student Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour

University students often exhibit high levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA). Previous efforts to increase students’ movement have focused on leisure-time PA or overlooked the university environment and the education system. Embedding PA into university education offers one potentially fruitful avenue for increasing student movement, yet understanding is needed of how and why the university education system influences students’ movement before effective interventions can be developed. This study used a novel behavioural systems mapping method to explore the perceived behaviours, actors, and influences affecting students’ PA and SB during university education. The aim of this exploratory study was to develop a preliminary behavioural systems map based on a combined dataset of interviews with 20 university students and 38 staff in a variety of roles. Data were qualitatively analysed to construct a map of the perceived actors, behaviours, and influences affecting students’ movement behaviours, as well as perceived causal links between them. Influences were further analysed using the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B). The resulting map would need further data input and corroboration to be considered a comprehensive map, yet the results presented in this study provide a useful starting point in this regard. The final map had over 100 elements and connections in total, with 31 different behaviours performed by various actors identified, demonstrating the system complexity as described by participants. Three clusters of behaviours and influences were identified: student movement in classes, student movement in private study time, and wider system influences and behaviours. Across all clusters, a key behaviour perceived as influential by participants was policy makers prioritising student movement in decision making, suggesting policy-level change is essential for long-term impact. Many identified barriers were related to physical or social opportunities, suggesting environmental restructuring may be key to embedding PA into university education. Many reflective motivation influences that may need addressing in future intervention research were also identified, such as believing that PA is worthwhile to implement. Overall, while policy-level change is needed to catalyse some of the environmental changes needed, this study suggests opportunities may exist to support students to increase movement during private study time, where fewest barriers were identified.