Assessing physical activity behaviors in college students

Physical activity declines during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. In order to evaluate this transition, it is important to assess physical activity behaviors in the young adult population. This is possible by assessing college students, which represent a large proportion of the young adult population. Currently, the determinants of physical activity participation in college students are poorly understood and a more detailed understanding is needed to help prevent the decline in physical activity. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of gender, enrollment in a college activity-based class, and high school physical activity participation on physical activity behaviors in college students. A second purpose to this study was to assess the impact of enrollment in a healthy lifestyles course on change in physical activity during a semester. Methods. A total of 911 college students enrolled in a healthy lifestyles class (n=455) and communications class (n=456) completed the baseline survey. A total of 765 students (healthy lifestyles = 355, communications = 365) completed the follow-up survey at the end of the semester. Study participants completed an internet questionnaire assessing frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity. Physical activity energy expenditure was specified as caloric expenditure indexed by body weight (kcal/kg/week) and quartiles of kcal/kg/week were used for analyses (Quartile 1: 0-12.5 kcal/kg/week, Quartile 2: 12.5-25.5 kcal/kg/week, Quartile 3: 25.5-45.9 kcal/kg/week, Quartile 4: >45.9 kcal/kg/week). A change score was used to assess the differences in physical activity at the beginning and end of the semester (Decrease: move to a lower quartile, Stay the Same: stay in the same quartile, Increase: increase to a higher quartile during the semester). Cross-tabulations were generated and chi square was used to determine any significant associations (p<.05) between physical activity participation and each exposure variable. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the magnitude of these associations. Results. When compared to the lowest physical activity quartile, males had 7.2 higher odds than females of belonging to the highest physical activity quartile. There was no difference in physical activity between students enrolled in the healthy lifestyles class and communications class. College students who played 1 high school sport, 2 sports, 3 sports, or 4 or more sports were 2.12, 3.3, 3.1, and 5.2 times more likely to be in the highest physical activity quartile. Students who were classified as moderately active during high school leisure time physical activities were 2.5 times more likely to be in quartile 2, 3.7 times more likely to be in quartile 3, and 9.9 times more likely to be in quartile 4. Students enrolled in the healthy lifestyles class had 81% higher odds than communication students to increase physical activity. Conclusions. Despite the concern regarding physical inactivity on college campuses, little is known about physical activity in this population. Therefore, the results of this study provide valuable information about the determinants of physical activity in the college students and that enrollment in a healthy lifestyles class may have a positive impact on physical activity participation.