Level of physical activity of Peruvian university students during confinement

Abstract

Physical activity contributes to the health and well-being of students because of the physical, psychological, and social benefits it provides (especially during confinement). The objective was to identify the level of physical activity of college students during confinement by COVID-19. It is a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted from March to July 2020. A population of 931 students enrolled in the Universidad Nacional de Frontera, Sullana-Peru, and a sample of 270 participated. The international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. Of the total participants, 32% were men and 68% women, 51% resided in urban areas and 49% in rural areas. The level of physical activity was low in 20% of the students, moderate in 29% and high in 51% of the students respectively. Of the total, 13% were diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 2.6% had low levels of physical activity, 5.2% moderate and 5.5% high. 28.1% of the students had physical complaints associated with COVID-19 symptoms. It is concluded that during the confinement, the university students presented a high level of physical activity, mostly women from rural areas rather than urban areas, where the level of physical activity was low.