Daily Physical Activity Levels between University Students of Different Majors
Mots-clés :
physical fitness, accelerometer, METs (metabolic equivalent of task), college students, physical educationRésumé
This study examined daily physical activity (PA) levels among college students to determine if they were achieving minimum PA, were able to accurately identify their PA, and whether PA differed among majors. Eighty-nine students from physical education (PE; n = 20), accounting (Acc; n = 27), hotel and restaurant administration (Hrad; n =15), secondary education (SecEd; n =10), and psychology (Psy; n =17) wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire L7S to recount their perceived PA. Results indicated that participants completed on average 10,013.07 steps per day, 22.91 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily. The most active major was Hrad. However, participants significantly overestimated their daily PA (p < .001). Findings suggest that while college students barely achieved minimum PA daily, such large discrepancies between their perceived and actual PA provide college health professionals direction for interventions and education.
Key words: physical fitness; accelerometer, METs (metabolic equivalent of task); college students; physical education
RÉSUMÉ
Cette étude décrit le niveau d’activité physique (AP) d’étudiants de niveau collégial pour déterminer s’ils atteignent le niveau minimal d’AP, s’ils peuvent identifier de façon juste leur niveau d’AP et si le niveau d’AP est différent selon le programme suivi. Les 80 étudiants participants provenaient des programmes suivants: éducation physique (n=20), comptabilité (n=27), administration hotelière et de restaurant (n=15), enseignement secondaire (n=10) et psychologie (n=17). Ces participants ont porté un accéléromètre pendant sept jours consécutifs et complété le “International Physical Activity Questionnaire L7S” pour décrire leur perception de leur AP. Les résultats révèlent que les participants ont fait en moyenne 10 013,07 pas par jour et 22,91 minutes d’AP modérée ou vigoureuse quotidiennement. Les participants les plus actifs étaient ceux du programme d’administration hotelière et de restaurant. Les participants ont surestimé de façon significative leur niveau d’AP (p<,001). Même si les participants ont atteint le seuil minimum d’AP, la surestimation importante de leur AP fournit des indices importants pour des interventions de la part des professionnels de la santé au niveau collegial.
Mots clés: condition physique; accéléromètre; étudiants de niveau collegial; éducation physique; MET (équivalent métabolique)
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