Gender Differences in University Students’ Levels of Physical Activity and Motivations to Engage in Physical Activity

Abstract

The transition of students to the university stage is a critical period in which there are numerous changes that could influence their lifestyles. The aim of this research was to analyse the levels of physical activity and the types of motivation for physical activity among university students according to gender. A quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional survey methodology was used. A total sample of 3060 university students, 47.8% women and 52.2% men, with a mean age of 20.88 ± 2.01 years was recruited. The sampling margin of error was ±1.85%. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the third version of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire were used to evaluate MVPA and motivations to exercise, respectively. Two-way ANCOVA and a mediation analysis were performed. The most relevant results show that less than half of the university men and women are considered physically active. Furthermore, when analysing the interaction between motivation and gender, a large effect in identified motivation (F = 65.03; p≤ 0.001) and integrated motivation (F = 324.58; p ≤.0.001) and a medium one intrinsic motivation (F = 169.39; p ≤ 0.001) was found. Therefore, women university students have lower levels of physical activity practice than men students and show higher external motivation and demotivation.

Relationship between Mediterranean diet, physical activity and emotional intelligence in Spanish undergraduates

“…Rodriguez-Muñoz et al (2017) validated this instrument for Spanish university students (counts: r=0.505, p<0.05; uniaxial MVPA cut-off points: r=0.466, p<0.05; triaxial MVPA cut-off points: r=0.486, p<0.05). This questionnaire is recommended for national follow-up studies (Craig et al, 2003) and has been used in previous research (Espada et al, 2023;López-Olivares et al, 2020;Ramón-Arbués et al, 2022;Úbeda-Colomer et al, 2023). In this study the physical activity variable was measured as the minutes per week that participants engaged in moderate-vigorous physical activity.…”

El uso del sistema PBL a través del estilo de enseñanza de práctica en Educación Física para aumentar la motivación: propuesta didáctica en Educación Secundaria (The use of PBL system through the practice teaching style in Physical Education to increase motivation: a didactic proposal in Secondary Education)

“…Además, la práctica de AF a nivel mundial no mejoró en el periodo 2001-2016, aumentando la inactividad física en un 5% en los países de ingresos altos. Recientes estudios en España, tanto en adultos universitarios (Espada et al, 2023), como en niños y adolescentes (Delfa-DeLaMorena et al, 2022), siguen mostrando elevados porcentajes de inactividad física en la población, en torno a un 65%. Entre los principales factores que están detrás de estos elevados porcentajes de inactividad física se encuentra precisamente la motivación.…”