The Correlation between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Body Mass Index among College Students in Surakarta, Indonesia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Young adulthood is a critical developmental period, during which there are key developmental tasks that allow the young adult to participate related to lifestyle behaviors. This research examines the interplay among physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and body mass index (BMI) among college students in Surakarta, Indonesia. Methods: From January to February 2023, a cross-sectional, online self-administered survey was distributed through WhatsApp and Telegram to prospective respondents aged 17–25 year old. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. The first section of the questionnaire consisted of seven sociodemographic questions about the participants’ age, sex, siblings, parents’ education levels, weight, and height. Eleven questions about respondents’ PA were included in the second section. There were eight questions about participants’ inactive lifestyles in the third section. Results: The respondents had an average age of 20.24 ± 0.21 years. Age (β = 0.041; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00–0.08; P = 0.03), PA (β = 0.02; 95% CI = 2.03–2.08; P = 0.02), and SBs on weekdays (β = −1.39; 95% CI = −4.77–1.98; P = 0.01) and weekends (β = −2.23; 95% CI = −9.19 [−1.27]; P = 0.01) were identified as the most significant variables influencing the respondents’ BMI. Conclusion: Most college students in Surakarta had a normal weight. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that nearly all female adolescents fell short of complying with the prescribed physical exercise guidelines, which advocate for a minimum of 420 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA weekly.

Keywords

• body mass index
• physical activity
• sedentary behaviors
• students