Scheduled for Research Consortium Poster Social: Representative Research in HPERD, Wednesday, March 14, 2007, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


Vigorous Physical Activity Among College Students: Findings From the 2005 Utah Higher Education Health Behavior Survey

Timothy K. Behrens1, Vanessa Harbour2 and Teresa Dooley2, (1)University Of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, (2)University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

There is an abundance of evidence suggesting that most Americans are not meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations. However, there is limited epidemiological evidence on PA and college students. Thus, the purpose of this study is to describe the PA profile of vigorously active college students in the state of Utah. The Utah Higher Education Health Behavior Survey was administered in 2005 to students at institutions of higher learning throughout the state. Vigorous PA was determined by a single question asking how many days during the past week students engaged in PA that made them “sweat or breathe hard” for at least 30 minutes. Data were cleaned so that only undergraduates between the ages of 18-30 were included in the dataset. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and ANOVA's were calculated. Due to multiple comparisons, Bonferroni's method was employed to adjust the level of significance (α = 0.05/8 comparisons = 0.006). There were 8,513 participants in the final sample (age = 21.43 ± 2.72 years, BMI = 23.90 ± 4.36 kg/m2, 92.49% Caucasian). Males (n = 3,980, age: 21.12 ± 2.60 years, BMI: 23.89 ± 4.04 kg/m2, 92.12% Caucasian) reported being more active (t[7,930] = 4.38, p < 0.0001) than females (n = 4,533, age: 21.74 ± 2.80 years, BMI = 23.91 ± 4.67 kg/m2, 92.80% Caucasian), and Native Americans/Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders were more active than other ethnic/racial groups (F[5, 8,064] = 4.22, p < 0.0001). As academic classification increased (i.e., freshman-senior) vigorous PA decreased (F[3, 8,269] = 6.79, p < 0.0001). Full-time students were more active than part-time students (t[1,853] = 7.78, p < 0.0001), and students not employed were more active than employed students (F[2, 8,227] = 138.16, p < 0.0001). Those living on-campus were more active (t[8,177] = 4.50, p < 0.0001) than students living off-campus, and respondents living in fraternity or sorority housing were more active than those living in a house or apartment (F[4, 8,250] = 7.23, p < 0.0001). Relationship status was also significant, with single respondents reporting more days of vigorous PA than those divorced or separated (F[4, 8,215] = 35.88, p < 0.0001). The results of this study represent one of few investigations that have quantified vigorous PA among college students using large epidemiological datasets. These findings are of value to researchers and practitioners seeking to understand the vigorous PA patterns of college students in the United States.
Keyword(s): adult physical activity/fitness, college level issues, health education college/univ

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