Gender- and race-related physical activity levels of South African university students

Abstract

Physical inactivity and the resultant chronic diseases are becoming a global epidemic. This article reflects on physical activity levels of undergraduate students at a university in South Africa. Gender and race differences in relation to these levels were investigated. A self-reported measureof physical activity suitable to facilitate cross-cultural comparisons of physical activity levels, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), was distributed to 413 third-year students at a university campus to determine the physical activity levels of students at a South Africanuniversity. An analysis of covariance was applied to check for gender and racial differences in relation to physical activity levels. Results revealed that 33% of students are inactive, irrespective of race and gender. Gender is a consistent and strong correlate of overall physical activity. Malesare highly significantly (p