Journal of Sports Sciences

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Determinants and patterns of physical activity

practice among Spanish university students

Dora Romaguera , Pedro Tauler , Miquel Bennasar , Jordi Pericas , Carlos

Moreno , Sonia Martinez & Antoni Aguilo

To cite this article: Dora Romaguera , Pedro Tauler , Miquel Bennasar , Jordi Pericas , Carlos
Moreno , Sonia Martinez & Antoni Aguilo (2011) Determinants and patterns of physical activity
practice among Spanish university students, Journal of Sports Sciences, 29:9, 989-997, DOI:
10.1080/02640414.2011.578149

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.578149

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Journal of Sports Sciences, June 2011; 29(9): 989–997

Determinants and patterns of physical activity practice among Spanish

university students

DORA ROMAGUERA1, PEDRO TAULER2, MIQUEL BENNASAR2, JORDI PERICAS2,

CARLOS MORENO2, SONIA MARTINEZ2, & ANTONI AGUILO2
1
Imperial College London, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place, London, UK and 2Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de
Mallorca, Spain

(Accepted 1 April 2011)

Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical activity
practice, as well as the motivations for being or not being physically active in Spanish university students. A representative
sample of students from a Spanish university (n ¼ 2,051; 42.1% males; mean age 21.9, s ¼ 4.8 years) participated in the
present cross-sectional study. A questionnaire including questions regarding lifestyle, dietary habits, parents’ characteristics,
and physical activity habits was administered to the students. The socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical
activity practice were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. 68.4% of men and 48.4% of women reported to
practise physical activity in the present sample. Those who practised physical activity consumed more fruits and were less
likely to be smokers compared to non-physically active students. Also, physically inactive men spent more time in front of the
computer and physically inactive women spent more time in front of the TV and were more likely to be frequent alcohol
consumers. Maternal educational level and maternal physical activity habits were also important determinants of physical
activity practice among men and women respectively. In conclusion, physically active students tended to engage in other
healthy habits in the present population, suggesting the clustering of healthy or unhealthy lifestyle factors among specific
subgroups.

Keywords: Physical activity, lifestyle, university students, cross-sectional study

practice becomes a voluntary activity when indivi-

Introduction
Regular physical activity is an important part of a
healthy lifestyle that has considerable physical and
mental health benefits. Higher physical activity has
been associated with a lower risk of all-cause
mortality, lower risk of developing cardiovascular
diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension,
obesity, osteoporosis and depression (Abu-Omar &
Rutten, 2008; Jurakic, 2008). Whether people
engage in an active lifestyle is a complex behavioural
process that is influenced by various factors, includ-
ing personal, social, and environmental factors (Pan
et al., 2009). A healthy lifestyle in adulthood is
believed to be rooted in habits acquired at early ages,
mainly during adolescence (Lee & Loke, 2005; Li,
Treuth, & Wang, 2009). However, diverse studies
have shown that physical activity decreases signifi-
cantly between adolescence and adulthood, and this
may be explained by the fact that physical activity
duals leave high school and start to work or to study
at university (Bauer, Nelson, Boutelle, & Neumark-
Sztainer, 2008; Li et al., 2009; Molina-Garcia,
Castillo, & Pablos, 2009). A meta-analysis of
previous studies on college students’ physical activity
behaviours and determinants found that about 40–
50% of college students are physically inactive
(Keating, Guan, Pinero, & Bridges, 2005). Changes
in levels of physical activity and physical fitness
between adolescence and young adulthood have
been linked to weight gain (Economos, Hildebrandt,
& Hyatt, 2008; Edmonds et al., 2008; Pullman et al.,
2009), and to a higher risk of developing cardiovas-
cular risk factors in young adulthood (Boreham
et al., 2002; Hasselstrom, Hansen, Froberg, &
Andersen, 2002).
The university is an ideal context in which to learn
and consolidate one’s personal and professional life,
including a lifestyle that will determine one’s future

Correspondence: D. Romaguera, Imperial College London, St Mary’s Campus, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK.
E-mail: d.romaguera-bosch@imperial.ac.uk
ISSN 0264-0414 print/ISSN 1466-447X online Ó 2011 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2011.578149
990 D. Romaguera et al.
health (Keller, Maddock, Hannover, Thyrian, &
Basler, 2008; Molina-Garcia et al., 2009; Quintiliani,
Allen, Marino, Kelly-Weeder, & Li, 2009); however,
many students face increasing pressure due to
engagement in academic activities, with no time or
motivation left for physical activity (Ulla Diez &
Perez-Fortis, 2009). In fact, it has been reported that
physical inactivity is a serious concern among
university students which could contribute to the
detriments of being insufficiently active (Irwin,
2007), highlighting the importance of physical
activity programmes in these institutions. It should
be the responsibility of colleges to promote physical
activity practice and engagement in sport activities
among students. For that, it is necessary to examine
the physical activity patterns and determinants
among students using multiple approaches. As such,
the objective of the present study was to investigate
the socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants
of physical activity practice, as well as the motiva-
tions for being or not being physically active in
a representative sample of Spanish university
students.
Sample and methods
Study design
This was a cross-sectional study carried out in a
representative sample of students from a Spanish
university in January 2008.
Sample selection
The target population consisted of all students from
the university (around 13,500). Fifty lecture rooms
proportionally distributed among the different de-
grees were randomly selected, and all students
present in the room were invited to complete the
questionnaire. A total of 2250 questionnaires were
distributed, and 2051 students completed the ques-
tionnaire within the same semester. Written in-
formed consent was obtained from all participants.
The gender, age, and degree distribution of partici-
pants in our sample was similar to that of the overall
university; hence this sample can be considered
representative of the students of the university. This
sample size permits the detection of difference in
proportions of 5% (a ¼ 0.05) with 99% of statistical
power. This study was in accordance with the
Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the
Bioethical Committee of the university.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was a short version of the Spanish
National Health Survey 2006 (‘‘Encuesta Nacional
de Salud de España http://www.msc.es/estadEstu
dios/estadisticas/encuestaNacional/’’), completed with
information about motivation for physical activity
practice, based on a previous questionnaire specifi-
cally developed for Spanish university students
(Pavon Lores, Moreno Murica, Gutierrez, & Sicilia,
2007). This questionnaire was selected over the
Spanish Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II as it
was felt the questions in the Spanish National Health
Survey were more aligned to the specific aims of the
current study. It was self-completed by the students
with the supervision of trained interviewers. The
questionnaire included different questions assessing
the lifestyle, dietary habits, parents’ characteristics,
and finally physical activity habits of university
students. The student age, sex, weight (kg) and
height (m) were collected, and their Body Mass Index
(BMI, kg  m72) was calculated. Individuals were
classified as under-weight (BMI 5 18.5 kg  m72),
normal weight (BMI 18.5–525 kg  m72), over-
weight (BMI 25–530 kg  m72), and obese
(BMI  30 kg  m72). Questions about lifestyle
included hours per day dedicated to specific seden-
tary activities (watching TV, use of computers,
sleeping), smoking habit (yes-daily, yes-sporadically,
no-never, no-former), and drinking habits (yes-often,
yes-weekends, no). Dietary habits were assessed
through a short food frequency questionnaire
including 11 broad food groups (fruits, vegetables,
pasta-rice-potatoes, bread-cereals, legumes, eggs,
meat-poultry, fish-seafood, processed meat, dairy
products, sweets-cakes) and six categories of fre-
quency of consumption (daily, 3 servings/week, 1–2
servings/week, 3–4 servings/month, 1–2 servings/
month, never or sporadically). Questions related to
father and mother occupational level (categorised as
low, medium, and high), educational level (none or
primary education incomplete – less than 5 years of
education; primary education – between 5–9 years of
education; secondary education – between 9–13 years
of education; university studies), and physical activity
practice (yes-often, yes-sporadically, no) were also
included. Own student’s physical activity practice
was ascertained with the question: ‘‘do you practise
any type of sport or leisure physical activity during
your free time?’’ (Possible answers: yes, no). Then the
questionnaire was divided into two sections: one to be
answered by those who said, ‘‘yes’’ (physically active)
and the other section for those who reported no
physical activity practice. Questions for physically
active individuals included years of physical activity
practice, age of initiation, frequency of practice (i.e.
times per week), place of physical activity practice,
and reasons why they practise physical activity; those
who reported to be physically inactive were asked
about their physical activity practice in the past
(if any), reasons why they stopped practising physical

activity in the past, and reasons why they do not
practise any physical activity in the present. Possible
answers for this last question were: lack of time;
laziness; tired after study/work; I do not like it; health
problems; no sport facilities around; not adequate
sport facilities; I think exercise is not useful or
healthy; or other reasons.
Statistical analyses
Analyses were carried out with STATA version 10.0
(STATA Corp LP, College Station, TX, USA)
statistical software packages. All analyses were
stratified by gender. Descriptive statistics relied on
cross-tabulations of several variables by gender and
by physical activity practice (i.e. physically active
vs. inactive individuals), showing percentages within
groups as well as group means and standard
deviations. Differences among percentages were
assessed using the w2 test; differences between means
were analysed by unpaired t test. To visualise the
dietary pattern of physically active and inactive
individuals in relation to the overall sample, multi-
dimensional graphic representations of their food
groups consumption as the percentage of deviation
from the overall sample consumption (100%) were
constructed. To study the determinants of physical
activity practice among university students, multi-
variable logistic regression analyses (considering the
simultaneous effect of several socio-demographic,
parental, and lifestyle factors) with the calculation
of the corresponding odds ratio (OR) and 95%
confidence interval (CI) were performed.
Results
A total of 2051 university students (42.1% males),
with a mean (s) age of 21.9 (4.8) years participated in
the present study. 68.4% of men and 48.4% of
women reported to practise physical activity or sport
activities (statistically significant difference between
genders, P 5 0.0001, data not shown). A similar
percentage (70%) of men and women were classified
as normal weight; however men were more likely to
be overweight compared to women, whereas more
women than men were classified as being either
underweight or obese. Nineteen point one percent of
women and 17.3% of men reported to smoke on a
daily basis, and 6.4% of women and 11.1% of men
reported to drink frequently. Around 60–65% of
fathers and mothers of the participants never prac-
tised physical activity (Table I). Crude comparisons
of socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics
between physically active and inactive students are
also shown in Table I.
Table II shows the multiple adjusted determinants
of physical activity practice among male and female
Physical activity in university students 991
university students. Physically active men were more
likely to have a higher BMI, and to spend fewer
hours in front of a computer. Physical activity
practice was twice as likely among non-smoker males
compared to frequent smokers. Men whose mothers
had a high educational level were three times more
likely to be physically active, compared to men with
less educated mothers. An older age and less TV
viewing was associated with being physically active
among women. Frequent smoker and frequent
alcohol drinker women were less likely to be
physically active, compared to all other categories
of smoking and drinking habits. Women with
physically active mothers were 58% more likely to
be physically active themselves.
Figure 1 shows the food pattern of physically active
and inactive men (A) and women (B). Physically
active men tended to consume more fruits, meat and
poultry, and pasta, rice, and potatoes, compared to
physically inactive men. On the other hand women
who practise physical activity consumed more fruits,
vegetables, and legumes than physically inactive
women.
Table III shows the physical activity pattern of
physically active men and women. Women in this
sample started practising physical activity at an
older age, and hence have been practising physical
activity for fewer years compared to men. Physically
active men were more likely to practise physical
activity more frequently, compared to women: on
average, men reported to practise physical activity
almost 6 h per week, compared to 4 h per week
reported by women. No differences between gen-
ders were observed in the place and the way of
practising physical activity: most of the sample
reported to practise physical activity in private
installations, such as gyms or clubs. Most men
and women reported that they did physical activity
in order to keep themselves fit. More women than
men reported to practise physical activity in order to
be healthy (26.6% vs 13.7%), whereas men were
more likely than women to report that, one of the
reasons why they were physically active, was to be
with their friends (17.6% of men vs 10% of
women).
Almost 90% of physically inactive individuals
reported to have practised physical activity in
the past (Table IV). On average, they had been
active in the past for ffi7 years, and stopped
practising physical activity at 17.5 years of age.
Starting university was the most frequently re-
ported reason for having stopped practising physi-
cal activity (48% of women and 43% of men), and
almost 70% of them (71.9% of women and 63% of
men) reported lack of time as the reason for not
practising physical activity at the time of the
interview.
992 D. Romaguera et al.

Table I. Characteristics of a representative sample of university students by gender and physical activity (PA) practice.

Men Women

PA practice PA practice

All Yes No P-value* All Yes No P-value*

n (%) 863 (100.0) 590 (68.4) 273 (31.6) 1188 (100.0) 575 (48.4) 613 (51.6)
Age (years), mean (s) 22.3 (5.2) 22.4 (4.9) 22.3 (5.9) 0.850 21.6 (4.3) 21.9 (4.6) 21.3 (4.0) 0.033
Hours of sleep, mean (s) 7.6 (1.0) 7.6 (1.1) 7.5 (1.0) 0.063 7.7 (0.9) 7.6 (0.9) 7.7 (0.9) 0.048
Hours of TV, mean (s) 1.7 (1.1) 1.7 (1.1) 1.7 (1.1) 0.904 1.8 (1.1) 1.7 (1.1) 1.9 (1.2) 0.003
Hours of PC, mean (s) 2.4 (1.8) 2.3 (1.7) 2.6 (1.9) 0.027 2.1 (1.5) 2.1 (1.5) 2.2 (1.5) 0.370
BMI (kg  m72), mean (s) 23.1 (3.0) 23.3 (2.8) 22.7 (3.3) 0.007 21.0 (2.8) 21.1 (2.7) 20.9 (2.8) 0.432
BMI category, %
Underweight 3.7 1.5 8.4 50.0001 14.6 12.7 16.3 0.190
Normal weight 70.0 72.2 65.2 69.9 72.7 67.2
Overweight 17.7 17.8 17.6 5.1 4.5 5.6
Obese 8.6 8.5 8.8 10.5 10.1 10.9
Job, % 0.209 0.052
Yes 29.8 31.2 26.9 29.2 31.9 26.7
No 70.2 68.8 73.1 70.8 68.1 73.3
Smoking habit, % 0.198 50.0001
Yes, daily 17.3 15.4 21.3 19.1 12.9 24.8
Yes, sporadically 7.5 7.5 7.4 8.5 9.6 7.5
Never 64.1 65.5 61 60.1 63.7 56.8
Former 11.2 11.6 10.3 12.3 13.8 10.9
Alcohol consumption, % 0.021 0.06
Yes, often 11.1 10.7 12.1 6.4 4.9 7.9
Yes, weekends 54.5 57.7 47.6 56.9 59.5 54.6
No 34.4 31.7 40.4 36.6 35.7 37.5
Father’s occupational level, % 0.517 0.802
Low 36.1 37.4 33.0 31.8 31.3 32.2
Medium 41.2 40.0 43.7 48.1 49.2 47.2
High 22.8 22.6 23.3 20.1 19.5 20.7
Mother’s occupational level, % 0.545 0.287
Low 43.5 43.1 44.3 39.8 37.7 41.7
Medium 42.4 41.8 43.8 44.8 45.4 44.3
High 14.1 15.1 11.9 15.4 16.9 14.0
Father’s educational level, % 0.758 0.069
None 19.0 28.3 20.6 20.9 18.8 22.9
Primary 24.2 24.3 24.1 25.1 28.4 22.0
Secondary 32.6 32.3 33.2 33.0 32.1 33.8
University 24.1 25.0 22.1 21.0 20.7 21.3
Mother’s educational level, % 0.120 0.007
None 19.6 18.0 23.1 21.1 18.9 23.4
Primary 29.5 30.3 27.7 32.4 35.8 29.2
Secondary 30.2 29.3 32.2 29.6 26.6 32.4
University 20.7 22.4 17.1 16.9 18.7 15.1
Father’s PA practice, % 0.271 0.001
Never 65.4 63.8 68.8 58.9 23.7 63.7
Sporadic 17.2 17.4 16.8 19.3 23.1 15.9
Often 17.5 18.8 14.5 21.8 23.2 20.5
Mother’s PA practice, % 0.010 50.0001
Never 67.9 66.1 71.9 60.4 53.7 66.7
Sporadic 16.2 15.4 17.9 15.7 19.2 12.4
Often 15.9 18.5 10.3 23.9 27.1 20.9

Note: *The level of significance of the observed differences among PA practice was assessed using unpaired t test and w2 test as appropriate.

environment for the promotion of physical activity.

Discussion
Being physically active during the university period
is a way of ensuring a good physical and mental
health not only as young adults but also later on in
life. In addition, the university context is an ideal
In this study, we have tried to describe the
characteristics and motivations for being physically
active or inactive in a representative sample of
students from a Spanish university, in order to
define an intervention programme aimed at
 Physical activity in university students 993

Table II. Determinants of physical activity (PA) practice in men and women from a representative sample of university students.

Men Women

OR 95% CI P-value* OR 95% CI P-value*

Age (per 1 year increase) 1.05 0.98–1.11 0.150 1.06 1.01–1.11 0.026
BMI (per 1 kg  m72 increase) 1.09 1.01–1.17 0.021 1.02 0.97–1.08 0.457
Hours of sleep (per 1 h increase) 1.03 0.84–1.27 0.765 0.88 0.75–1.05 0.155
Hours of TV (per 1 h increase) 1.07 0.89–1.29 0.469 0.85 0.75–0.98 0.021
Hours of PC (per 1 h increase) 0.85 0.76–0.95 0.003 0.96 0.86–1.07 0.457
Job
Yes 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
No 0.62 0.38–1.02 0.061 0.97 0.68–1.38 0.862
Smoking habit
Yes, daily 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Yes, sporadically 0.81 0.36–1.81 0.603 2.90 1.57–5.36 0.001
Never 1.99 1.13–3.50 0.018 2.72 1.77–4.19 50.0001
Former 1.42 0.66–3.06 0.372 2.95 1.66–2.25 50.0001
Alcohol consumption
Yes, often 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Yes, weekends 1.16 0.60–2.24 0.663 2.50 1.25–5.01 0.010
No 0.68 0.33–1.39 0.286 2.07 1.01–4.25 0.046
Father’s occupational level
Low 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Medium 0.93 0.55–1.60 0.804 1.21 0.81–1.81 0.351
High 1.05 0.61 - 1.81 0.863 1.11 0.72–1.71 0.637
Mother’s occupational level
Low 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Medium 0.72 0.39–1.35 0.305 0.72 0.81–1.80 0.351
High 0.92 0.50–1.70 0.798 0.66 0.72–1.71 0.637
Father’s educational level
None 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Primary 0.79 0.35–1.66 0.531 1.59 0.97–2.62 0.065
Secondary 0.93 0.45–1.92 0.850 1.13 0.69–1.86 0.627
University 1.11 0.49–2.50 0.807 0.96 0.55–1.68 0.888
Mother’s educational level
None 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Primary 2.28 1.10–4.74 0.027 1.38 0.85–2.26 0.192
Secondary 1.55 0.76–3.19 0.231 1.02 0.61–1.70 0.950
University 2.88 1.24–6.72 0.014 1.12 0.66–2.16 0.551
Father’s PA practice
Never 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Sporadic 1.27 0.70–2.30 0.431 1.35 0.90–2.05 0.151
Often 0.85 0.48–1.50 0.575 1.09 0.74–1.62 0.658
Mother’s PA practice
Never 1.00 ref. 1.00 ref.
Sporadic 0.56 0.32–1.01 0.056 1.58 1.02–2.45 0.041
Often 1.55 0.84–2.84 0.158 1.58 1.07–2.31 0.020

Note: *Multivariable logistic regression analyses (considering the simultaneous effect of all variables) was used to obtain the adjusted odds
ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

increasing leisure-time physical activity among
university students.
The percentage of students reporting being phy-
sically active in this study is similar to that observed
in previous studies (Haase, Steptoe, Sallis, & Wardle,
2004; Keating et al., 2005). In a previous cross-
sectional study conducted on university students
from 23 countries, the prevalence of inactivity in
leisure time was around 25% in men and 50% in
women from Spain (Haase et al., 2004). Physically
active individuals reported to practise an average of
5 h of physical activity per week. If we consider the
recommended level of physical activity for adults as
described in the Physical Activity Guidelines for
Health (PAGH): ‘‘physical activity of moderate-
intensity for at least 30 minutes in most, preferably
all, days of the week’’ (Pate et al., 1995), and
translated in the present study as 3 or more hours per
week of physical activity, 43% (55% of men and 34%
of women) of students in the present sample could
be considered as having an adequate physical activity
level. This value is similar to that reported in
university students from Anglo-Saxon countries
(Irwin, 2007), but higher than that reported among
994 D. Romaguera et al.
Figure 1. Dietary pattern of physically active and inactive (A) men
and (B) women, in relation to the overall sample, expressed as the
percentage of deviation from the overall sample consumption
(100%). The level of significance of the observed differences
among physical activity practice was assessed using unpaired t test
(*P-value 5 0.05; **P-value 5 0.01; ***P-value 5 0.001).
students from Mediterranean countries (30% of men
and 22% of women) in a previous study (Haase et al.,
2004). Differences between the results of this study
and the study by Haase et al. (2004) could be
attributed to the different study periods of both
studies (data included in the Haase et al. study were
collected in 1999/2001, compared to 2008 in the
present study) or to the fact that students included in
the Haase et al. study were selected among those not
studying medicine or health-related topics, whereas
in the present study some students were selected
from health-related disciplines. In a previous study it
was reported that students who met physical activity
recommendations were more likely to be enrolled in
a health-related discipline (Irwin, 2007).
As reported previously, men were more likely than
women to be physically active (Eisenmann, Bartee,
Smith, Welk, & Fu, 2008; Jurakic, 2008; Lee &
Loke, 2005; Li et al., 2009; Molina-Garcia et al.,
2009). Reasons for gender differences in physical
activity practice could be attributed to past history of
physical activity (i.e. women being more likely to
stop practising physical activity at a younger age), as
seen in this and other studies (Molina-Garcia et al.,
2009). Also, in this study women were more likely to
report lack of time or starting university as reasons to
be physically inactive. On the other hand, reasons for
being physically active also differed among gender,
with men being more likely to report social interac-
tion and enjoyment, and women reporting being
active for its health benefits, as well as enjoyment.
Similar gender differences in physical activity prac-
tice have been reported (Molina-Garcia et al., 2009;
Pan et al., 2009). Lack of time was reported by
students as the main reason for not being physically
active; however, not significant differences in other
extra-curricular activities, such as having a job (either
part-time or full-time), were observed between active
and inactive individuals. Physically active women
were older than those inactive; it might be possible
that older students have already adapted to the
demands of university life and hence are better at
managing their time, so have more time to practise
physical activity.
Several healthy behaviours were independently
associated with physical activity practice in men
and/or in women. Both physically active men and
women were more likely to be non-smokers than
those who were physically inactive. In addition
physically active men spent fewer hours in front of
the TV, and physically active women spent less time
in front of the computer and reported less alcohol
consumption. Physically active men and women
consumed more fruit compared to physically inactive
students. This is in agreement with previous studies
that have suggested that low fruit consumption is a
culture-universal predictor of lack of physical activity
(Seo, Torabi, Jiang, Fernandez-Rojas, & Park, 2009a,
2009b). In addition, physically active women tended
to consume other plant foods (legumes, vegetables),
whereas physically active men were more likely to
consume pasta, rice, potatoes, meat, and poultry
compared to physically inactive students. The con-
sumption of a healthier diet (rich in foods with high
fibre and low energy density content) among physi-
cally active women might be associated with their
intention to be healthy. On the other hand, physically
active men may be prone to select foods rich in
complex carbohydrates and proteins as a perceived
way of improving their physical performance (Baldi-
ni, Pasqui, Bordoni, & Maranesi, 2009; Campbell
et al., 2007). Similar associations between healthy
habits and physical activity have been observed in
previous studies (Faeh, Viswanathan, Chiolero,
Warren, & Bovet, 2006; Seo et al., 2009a, 2009b;
Seo, Nehl, Agley, & Ma, 2007). There is an
expanding literature indicating the co-occurrence of
unhealthy behaviours among the adolescent and
 Physical activity in university students 995

Table III. Physical activity (PA) pattern of university students reporting being physically active (n ¼ 1,165).

All Men Women P-value*

Age initiation (years), mean (s) 11.8 (6.0) 11.1 (5.7) 12.5 (6.3) 50.0001
Years doing PA, mean (s) 11.0 (6.0) 11.8 (5.8) 10.0 (6.1) 50.0001
Weekly hours of PA, mean (s) 4.9 (3.4) 5.7 (3.8) 4.1 (2.7) 50.0001
Frequency of PA practice, % 50.0001
Daily 8.2 9.9 6.5
4–5 times/week 24.6 29.2 19.9
3 times/week 38.8 37.1 40.1
2 times/week 20.0 15.9 24.3
Once a week 8.3 7.9 8.8
How do you practise PA, % 0.768
On my own 51.2 51.4 51.0
In a gym or club 45.0 45.2 44.8
Others 3.8 3.4 4.2
Where do you practise PA, % 0.376
Public spaces 16.3 17.7 14.8
Public installations 35.1 35.5 34.7
Private installations 41.5 40.9 42.1
At home 3.8 3.0 4.6
Others 3.4 2.3 2.9
Main reason why you practise PA, % 50.0001
To work out 38.7 39.7 37.8
To be healthy 20.0 13.7 26.6
I enjoy it 19.2 19.0 19.3
To be with friends 13.9 17.6 10.0
Others 8.2 10.1 6.2

Note: *The level of significance of the observed differences among genders was assessed using unpaired t test and w2 test as appropriate.

Table IV. Reported reasons for not practising physical activity (PA) among university students (n ¼ 886).

All Men Women P-value*

Did you use to practise PA before?, % 0.398

Yes 89.3 88.0 89.9
No 10.7 12.0 10.1
Years doing PA in the past, mean (s) 6.8 (4.1) 7.0 (4.4) 6.7 (4.0) 0.106
Age stopped PA (years) , mean (s) 17.5 (4.1) 18.0 (4.9) 17.3 (4.0) 0.036
Reason why you stopped practising PA, % 0.005
Start university 47.0 43.0 48.0
No special reason 25.0 25.3 26.2
Start working 6.6 9.4 5.3
Health problems 5.9 9.4 4.3
Others 8.9 21.2 14.5
Reason why you do not practise PA, % 0.002
Lack of time 69.1 63.0 71.9
Laziness 14.2 15.1 13.8
Tired after study/work 4.7 4.3 4.9
I do not like it 6.2 7.9 5.4
Health problems 2.1 4.7 1.0
Others 1.9 1.1 8.7

Note: *The level of significance of the observed differences among genders was assessed using unpaired t test and w2 test as appropriate.

young adult populations (Keller et al., 2008; Quinti-
liani et al., 2009). This is especially important given
that smoking, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and
immoderate alcohol use are the major behavioural
contributors to premature morbidity and mortality in
the developed world (Keller et al., 2008). Also, it has
been shown that TV viewing and lack of physical
activity interact in the risk of becoming overweight /
obese in young adults (Eisenmann et al., 2008;
Samdal et al., 2007). Further research is needed to
ascertain whether this interaction is also observed
when considering hours of PC use, which may be a
better indicator of sedentary activities among men, as
shown in the present study.
996 D. Romaguera et al.
We observed in the present study that active men
had a significantly higher BMI than inactive men,
however in both cases average BMI was within the
normal range; in addition, active men were less likely
to be underweight compared to inactive men, but no
difference in the proportion of overweight and obese
was observed between active and inactive men. This
significant association persisted in the multiple
adjusted analyses. No significant associations were
observed in women. These differences in BMI could
be related to a higher proportion of lean body mass
or muscle mass in men with higher physical activity
levels, which also result in a higher BMI (Martinez
et al., 2010). Also we could speculate that being
physically active may help to keep a healthy weight
and avoid being underweight among men. Never-
theless, given the cross-sectional nature of the study
we cannot prove the direction of the association.
An interesting finding in the present study was the
association between maternal educational level and
maternal physical activity habits with physical activity
practice among men and women. Several studies
have found a positive relationship between parental
encouragement to be physically active, parental own
fitness status, and parental educational level, and
adolescents’ time spent engaging in physical activity
(Bauer et al., 2008; Gordon-Larsen, McMurray, &
Popkin, 2000; Ulla Diez & Perez-Fortis, 2009).
Some authors have suggested that encouragement to
be active may be especially influential when coming
from a same-sex parent (Bauer et al., 2008), whereas
others have found maternal educational level to be
particularly relevant for physical activity practice as
well as other healthy behaviours among their sons/
daughters (Gordon-Larsen et al., 2000; Ulla Diez &
Perez-Fortis, 2009). Others have found that parents’,
siblings’, friends’, and partner’s support for physical
activity practice might be especially important among
women only (Molina-Garcia et al., 2009). In the
present study, both men and women were influenced
by the educational level and physical activity habits of
their mothers. Reasons for maternal education being
especially important among men and maternal
physical activity habits among women are difficult
to elucidate, and could be attributed due to the fact
that maternal educational level and maternal physical
activity habits were highly correlated in the present
sample: 30% of mothers with a university degree
‘‘often’’ practised physical activity, compared with
13% of mothers with no education; on the other
hand, 54% of mothers with a university degree
‘‘never’’ practised physical activity compared with
73% of mothers with no education.
Advantages of this study include its large and
representative sample size of university students and
the application of an extensive questionnaire speci-
fically designed to study physical activity patterns
and determinants among university students. The
main limitations are the cross-sectional design of
the study, which limits the assessment of causality in
the observed associations and the fact that physical
activity practice and other questions were self-
reported by the students, and may be subject to
respondent bias. In addition, given that the students
were only asked about their physical activity during
their leisure time, there may be some misclassifica-
tion in cases where students had a physically active
job or means of transport (i.e. cycling to the
university); nevertheless, the aim of this study was
to assess specifically the prevalence and determinants
of leisure-time physical activity.
Implication for research and practice
The results of this study suggest that there are several
personal, social, and environmental factors that
influence physical activity practice among university
students. Personal factors include, among others, the
reported lack of time among those not practising
physical activity; social factors include the maternal
educational level and physical activity habits; and
finally environmental factors include lifestyle habits
such as diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
The latter point is particularly important for the
development of tailored interventions aimed at
improving the overall health status of specific
population subgroups. Given the clustering of
behavioural risk factors in this population, an
intervention aimed at increasing physical activity
practice among university students should aim at
raising awareness of the health effects of multiple risk
behaviours, and eventually at addressing other
healthy habits. For that, it is also essential to create
environments that are conducive to change for
healthy habits in the university context. We consider
that results obtained in the present study are
applicable to other Spanish universities, and uni-
versities from the Mediterranean area, since the
results from this study are quite similar to the ones
reported in previous studies from other universities
and countries.
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