Physical Activity Involvement and Perception of Sufficient Physical Activity Among University Students According to Personality Traits

Abstract

Objective: Moderate and vigorous physical activity (PA) has been associated with better\rcardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents, regardless of the quantity of sedentary time. The\raim of this study was to determine the level PA engagement and perception of sufficient PA\ramong students of a faculty of medicine and to investigate a correlation with personality traits.\rMethods: A questionnaire was used to collect data about the level of PA and factors that\rmight influence participation. A 10-item personality inventory and the short form of the\rInternational Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were also administered in student interviews.\rResults: According to the IPAQ scores, 38.7% of the students had a low level of activity or\rwere inactive (LPA), 47.8% had a moderate level of participation (MPA), and 13.4% ranked as\rhighly active (HPA). The results indicated that 10.9% of the students who reported regular\rPA were classified as LPA, 50.9% were graded as MPA, and 38.2% had an HPA score. Of the\rstudents who reported a perception of sufficient PA, 17.5% were scored as LPA. Students\rwho participated in cycling, running, dancing, and team sports had a significantly higher IPAQ\rmeasurement (p<0.05). Personality scores, body mass index, some types of PA (walking and\rswimming), and gender were not correlated with PA level.\rConclusion: The findings indicated that 17.5% of the students who thought that they engaged in sufficient PA actually had an LPA score. The IPAQ results revealed that only 13.4%\rof the students actually had a sufficient level of PA, as defined by the World Health Organization guidelines. The level of PA participation was not affected by personality traits.