THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL DECLARED BY STUDENTS FROM BELARUS

Background
Numerous connections of physical activity with biological indicators and various diseases justify its place in the multifaceted theory of health, thus making it a health measure. The aim of the study was to learn about the physical activity declared by students at Belarusian universities – to determine its level and dominant areas.

Material and methods
739 people studying in Brest, Minsk, and Grodno (Belarus) were surveyed with the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

Results
The total physical activity of the surveyed students amounted to 4840.5 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/week (median), which proves their significant involvement in the broadly understood physical culture. The dominant area of their physical activity proved to be work-related effort (median=1700.6 MET-min/week), while the lowest activity of the respondents was related to sport and recreation. The surveyed men showed higher MET-min/week rates in total physical activity and its components compared with women except for housework. In each of the analyzed variables (gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), self-assessment of physical fitness, and declared amount of spare time), there were statistically significant differences in the physical activity level of the surveyed students.

Conclusions
The surveyed men proved to be more active than women in all domains of physical activity except for housework. Respondents with a BMI indicating overweight were more active than those with a normal BMI or those who were underweight. High self-esteem and declaration of lacking spare time are associated with high values of the MET-min/week index.