Association between behavioural factors and physical activity level among university students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the association between physical activity level and behavioral factors viz. fruit intake, vegetable intake and daily screen time among the University students. A total of 109 students including males and females were recruited form Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India. They were subjected to the WHO’s STEP survey questionnaire. The data regarding physical activity, fruit intake, vegetable intake was extracted for analysis. Some extra questions regarding daily screen time on smartphone, TV and computer were also asked to the participants. To examine the associations, the Pearson’s Chi-square test was applied on categorical data. Results revealed significant association between fruit intake and physical activity whereas no significant associations were between physical activity and vegetable intake and daily screen time. The study concluded that those who were physically inactive were more likely to have less fruit intake.