Is Health-Related Physical Activity Associated with Gender in Young University Students of Lahore

Abstract

Background: Physical activity is a crucial indicator of the overall health of an individual in any age group. It is important to study the young population, such as university students because of the abrupt changes that this group experiences, particularly in terms of behavior and lifestyle as they experience a transition from the tightly controlled environment of high school to independent routines in universities. This study aims to find out the trends towards physical activity in young university boys and girls. Objective: To find out the association between the level of physical activity and gender among university students in Lahore. Methodology: A sample of 301 university students was taken with ages ranging from 19 to 25 years of age. Excluding any systemic or traumatic cause of loss to routine physical activity, 164 male and 137 female students were included through convenience sampling technique in this cross-sectional study. Data was collected from the University of South Asia and Pakistan Society of the Rehabilitation for Disables in Lahore, Pakistan over a span of 6 months. The participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria were asked about their physical activity in the last 7 days using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mean age of male participants was 22.36 +1.97 years and the mean age of female participants was 20.77±1.82 years. 64(39.0%) males and 36(26.3%) females were engaged in low levels of physical activity, 52(31.7%) males, and 68(49.6%) females in moderate levels of physical activity while 48(29.3%) males and 33(24.1%) females were involved in vigorous physical activity. The association between gender and Physical activity is significant (P value 0.005). Conclusion: Male and female students have different levels of physical activity. The majority of males fall in low levels versus females in a moderate levels of physical activity. The level of health-related physical activity is positively associated with gender among university students. Keywords: Exercise, Gender role, Gender Identity, Sedentary Behaviour.