Level of physical activity in college students

Abstract

Introduction: Regular practice of physical activity is important to prevent and treat psychobiological dysfunctions and improve thequality of life. Insufficient levels of exercise have been considered a risk factor for diseases, mainly cardiovascular disorders. Theevidences about the levels of physical activity in college students are inconsistent, especially in physical education undergraduateprograms. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of physical activity in Physical Education college students of theUniversidade Federal da Paraíba, considering gender, undergraduate program (degree or bachelor) and term time. Method: The studydesign is transversal, and 159 subjects answered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), short version. Results: Mostof the college students were classified as active and very actives (77.4%) and, only 22.7% were insufficiently actives. It was observed asignificant association between the level of physical activity and the term time (p=0.001), with a linear and progressive trend to towardsan increase in the number of inactive/insufficiently active students. There was not significant association (p=0.088) between the levelof physical activity and the first or second half of the undergraduate program. College’s Bachelor students of were more active thancollege’s Licentiate students, however, without significant association (p=0.181). In the difference between genders, women have higherlevels of physical activity than men, but without significant association (p=0.797). Conclusion: The results show that students of physicaleducation present appropriate levels of physical activity and students of the last term time are less active than first term time students.