Investigation of Physical Activity Level of Medical School Students

Kağan Üçok 1 * , Abdurrahman Genç 1, Ümit Şener 1, Muzaffer Akkaya 1, Hakan Mollaoğlu 1
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1 Afyon Kocatepe Tıp Fakültesi Fizyoloji AD, Afyon, Türkiye
* Corresponding Author
EUR J BASIC MED SCI, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 33-38. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejbms/9165
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ABSTRACT

The aim of this study were to investigate the physical activity levels in Afyon Kocatepe University Medical Faculty students and to determine the relationships between the physical activity and the parameters of grade, age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). A questionnaire, short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, was applied to a total of 256 (118 female, 138 male) volunteer students for vigorous and moderate physical activity, walking and sitting times, grade, age, gender, height and weight of the participants. Questionnaire findings were grouped on the basis of student grades. BMI was calculated with formula using height and weight. Total physical activity times of participants were calculated and then classified as low, moderate and high. BMI was in normal limits and total physical activity time (MET-min/week) was in moderate level in students for each grade (1st graders: 1706.8±1640.4; 2nd graders: 1873.5±1495.6; 3rd graders: 2049.7±1963.8; 4th graders: 2899.7±1877.5; 5th graders: 2441.7±1513.7; 6th graders: 1833.6±1055.7). However, the value for total physical activity time of the 4th graders was higher than that value for the 1st graders and the 2nd graders. The value for daily sitting time (min) of 1st graders (572.3±274.0) was higher than that of the 3rd (427.3±176.0), the 4th (371.1±145.7) and the 6th graders (320.6±179.2). There was no correlation among the values in all students excepting the moderate correlation between age and BMI. It was determined that out of 256 students, a total of 47 students had a low level physical activity, whereas a total of 105 students claimed that they did not perform any moderate to vigorous physical activity. It suggests that the 4th graders performed the best physical fitness level among all graders due to having most total physical activity and less sitting time. No association was found between BMI and physical activity times probably because of other factors. Students with low physical activity can be determined and efforts and policies for interventions should be done accordingly.
Keywords: Physical activity, young adult, body mass index, student, questionnaire

CITATION

Üçok K, Genç A, Şener Ü, Akkaya M, Mollaoğlu H. Investigation of Physical Activity Level of Medical School Students. Eur J Basic Med Sci. 2011;1(1):33-8. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejbms/9165

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