Assessment of physical activity in medical and public health students

BACKGROUND: Reduced level of physical activity, as an important problem of urbanization and industrial development, has a considerable impact on the population morbidity and mortality. The rate of inactivity has been reported to be 60–85% in adults worldwide. Considering the importance of physical activity among youth, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity among university students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study physical activity was assessed in 399 medical and public health students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Physical activity was evaluated by standard questionnaire in four fields containing job, transport, work, and leisure time at home. FINDINGS: Regarding moderate physical activity, 48.6% of students were active and the rest were inactive. Regarding severe physical activity, 32.6% were active and the rest were inactive. Mean number of hours for moderate activity per day was 1.96 ± 0.19 h/day in the last 7 days. There was a significant relationship between physical activity and sex and students’ course of study. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the level of physical activity was not sufficient among students; therefore, considering its importance among students, it is necessary to educate them regarding lifestyle modification specially to increase the level of physical activity during their leisure time.