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Sedentary behavior and physical activity of young adult university students
Author(s) -
Peterson Neil E.,
Sirard John R.,
Kulbok Pamela A.,
DeBoer Mark D.,
Erickson Jeanne M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.21845
Subject(s) - waist , sedentary behavior , body mass index , physical activity , ethnic group , sedentary lifestyle , medicine , demography , multilevel model , gerontology , psychological intervention , regression analysis , physical activity level , african american , psychology , physical therapy , ethnology , machine learning , psychiatry , sociology , anthropology , computer science , history
Movement and non‐movement behaviors include sleep, sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA). While young adults are generally perceived as healthy, the level and relationship of SB and PA in college‐age students has not been greatly explored. The purpose of this study was to objectively measure the levels of SB and PA in 18–20 year‐old university students, record their self‐reported extracurricular activities, and explore the relationship of all these with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Male ( n = 48) and female ( n = 46) students participated in this cross‐sectional study. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine time spent in SB, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), number of self‐reported sedentary extracurricular activities, and their relation to the dependent variables of BMI and WC. In correlation analyses, SB ( p < .001) and MVPA ( p = .017) both were negatively associated with BMI, and “other” race or ethnicity (African American, Hispanic, mixed; p = .013) and number of self‐reported sedentary extracurricular activities ( p = .006) were positively associated with BMI. In the WC regression model, SB ( p = .018) was negatively associated and number of self‐reported sedentary extracurricular activities ( p = .006) was positively associated with WC. University students may be both highly active and highly sedentary. Future researchers should consider targeting interventions to reduce SB in addition to improving PA.