Physical Activity Pattern Among Female College Students at Taibah University

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity simply is any movement of the body that sustains and empowers physical fitness and overall health and wellness. Physical inactivity became a concern in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially in females during the last few decades. The purpose of this study was to assess the physical activity patterns among female college students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 658 female college students at Taibah University. The short form of the Arabic version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity pattern. Additional data were collected on body mass index (BMI), body composition, including body fat percentage (BF%), visceral fat level (VFL), and skeletal muscle percent (SM%). Results: Overall, 37.5% of the students performed vigorous-intensity, and 44.9% performed moderate-intensity physical activity. Both BMI and BF% were significantly inversely associated with vigorous and moderate physical activity. These associations appeared to be stronger among students who performed vigorous physical activity for ≥75 min/week for BMI (aOR = 0.559, 95% CI 0.318–0.687) and BF% (aOR = 0.389, 95% CI 0.044–0.507) and moderate physical activity for ≥ 150 min/week for BMI (aOR = 0.580, 95% CI 0.205–0.812) and BF% (aOR = 0.320, 95% CI 0.124–0.402). Conclusion: Although both vigorous and moderate physical activity appeared to affect BMI and BF%, among college students who performed physical activity, our findings suggest the need for strategies to increase awareness among female students to be physically active to promote healthy lifestyles and substantial health benefits.