Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 May 8;17(9):3272.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093272.

Physical Activity Habits and Determinants, Sedentary Behaviour and Lifestyle in University Students

Aida Carballo-Fazanes  1   2 , Javier Rico-Díaz  3 , Roberto Barcala-Furelos  1   4 , Ezequiel Rey  4 , José E Rodríguez-Fernández  3 , Cristina Varela-Casal  4 , Cristian Abelairas-Gómez  1   2   3
Affiliations

Physical Activity Habits and Determinants, Sedentary Behaviour and Lifestyle in University Students

Aida Carballo-Fazanes et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

University students, as a result of their lifestyles, represent a section of the population that is most likely to adopt sedentary behaviours. The aim of the present study was to analyse the determining factors dictating the performance of physical activity as well as sedentary behaviour among university students. A total of 608 students (64.6% women) from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) were selected by stratified random sampling to take part in the study, which involved completing a questionnaire on lifestyle and physical activity. Of the participating students, 69.6% indicated that they performed physical activity; the main reasons given were to maintain fitness and for health, while a lack of time and laziness were the principal reasons given for abandoning or not taking up physical exercise. Significant associations were established between not doing physical activity and the time exposed to screens, time studying, feeling low and smoking; on the other hand, associations could be seen between doing physical activity and the participation of relatives (parents, mothers, partners, older siblings and friends) in physical activity, as well as a positive sense of satisfaction relating to physical education taught in schools. In conclusion, most of the university students did some physical activity, which was associated with less sedentary behaviour, while the influence of school physical education and of the habits of relatives played an important role.

Keywords: causes; lifestyle; physical exercise; sedentary life; undergraduate students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relation between perceived health perception and duration of exercise sessions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relation between the students’ performance of physical activity and that of relatives.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relation between current physical activity and enjoyment of physical education in secondary school. (a) Total sample; (b) Women.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relation between physical activity and participation in extra-curricular sports activities organized by the educational centre. (a) Total sample; (b) Men; (c) Women.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tremblay M.S., Aubert S., Barnes J.D., Saunders T.J., Carson V., Latimer-Cheung A.E., Chastin F.M., Altenburg T.M., Chinapaw M.J.M. Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN)- terminology consensus project. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. 2017;14:75. doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0525-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Owen N., Healy G.N., Matthews C.E., Dunstan D.W. Too much sitting: The population-health science of sedentary behavior. Exerc. Sport Sci. 2010;38:105–113. doi: 10.1097/JES.0b013e3181e373a2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Janssen I., LeBlanc A.G. Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school-aged children and youth. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2010;7:40. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-7-40. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Warburton D.E., Nicol C.W., Bredin S.S. Health benefits of physical activity: The evidence. Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2006;174:801–809. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.051351. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. [(accessed on 20 March 2020)];2010 Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44399/9789241599979_eng.... - PubMed

Publication types