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http://hdl.handle.net/1942/39428
Title: | The Association between Academic Schedule and Physical Activity Behaviors in University Students | Authors: | Wu , Yingyi Van Gerven, Pascal W. M. de Groot, Renate H. M. OP 'T EIJNDE, Bert Seghers, Jan Winkens, Bjorn Savelberg, Hans H. C. M. |
Issue Date: | 2023 | Publisher: | MDPI | Source: | International journal of environmental research and public health (Print), 20 (2) (Art N° 1572) | Abstract: | Background: University students sit too much, which is detrimental to their physical and mental health. Academic schedules, including scheduled education time and self-study time, may influence their physical activity behaviors. Objectives: To investigate (1) the association between scheduled education time and students' physical activity levels during weekdays; (2) the association between self-study time and students' physical activity levels during the weekdays and weekends. Methods: 126 (68 Maastricht University (UM); 58 KU Leuven (KUL)) first-year undergraduate students in biomedical sciences (mean +/- SD age: 19.3 +/- 1.0, BMI: 22.0 +/- 3.0, 17% men, 83% women) completed a demographics questionnaire and reported their academic activities with a 7-day logbook. Furthermore, their physical activity behavior was measured with the activPAL monitor for 7 days. Linear mixed models were used to examine the associations between university (UM versus KUL), academic activities (scheduled education time and self-study time), and students' activity levels. Results: During weekdays, each hour of scheduled education time per day was significantly associated with a 1.3 min decrease of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Scheduled education time was not significantly associated with the sedentary time, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and active sedentary behavior ratio. Each hour of self-study per day was significantly associated with 8 min more of sedentary time per day, 6 min less LPA per day, and 1.3 min less MVPA per day. Self-study time was not significantly associated with active sedentary behavior ratio. During the weekend, each hour of self-study time per day was associated with an additional 17.8 min of sedentary time per day and a reduction of 15.2 min of LPA per day. Self-study time was not significantly associated with the time spent doing MVPA and active sedentary behavior ratio. Conclusions: It could be more effective to change students' physical activity behaviors during self-study than during scheduled education time. Therefore, offering a study environment that reduces sedentary behavior and promotes light-intensity physical activity, is crucial. | Notes: | Wu, YY (corresponding author), Maastricht Univ, Sch Nutr & Translat Res Metab NUTRIM, Dept Nutr & Movement Sci, NL-6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands.; Wu, YY (corresponding author), Maastricht Univ, Sch Hlth Profess Educ SHE, NL-6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands. yingyi.wu@maastrichtuniversity.nl |
Keywords: | sedentary behavior;sedentary behavior;physical activity;physical activity;scheduled education time;scheduled education time;self-study time;self-study time;higher education;higher education | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/39428 | ISSN: | 1661-7827 | e-ISSN: | 1660-4601 | DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph20021572 | ISI #: | 000915356200001 | Rights: | 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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