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Assessment of the level physical activity among physiotherapy students using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
,
Beata Czechowska
,
Marta Karbowiak
,
Piotr Stasiak
,
Sławomir Motylewski
https://doi.org/10.31749/2451-0858-SaS-2026-109
Abstract
Physical activity should be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Scientific research increasingly emphasizes the importance engaging in it regularly. Poor eating habits and low levels of physical activity – or a complete lack thereof – are cited as the main factors increasing the risk of overweight and obesity among teenagers and adults in Europe and throughout the world. The aim of this study was to assess the physical activity of physiotherapy students and to compare activity levels between the genders, between individuals who met and did not meet WHO recommendations, and across specific domains of physical activity.
The study involved 111 second-year physiotherapy students at the Medical University of Lodz, comprising 75 women and 36 men, aged between 19 and 25. The long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess the physical activity of the participants. The study was conducted during the summer semester of the 2024/2025 academic year.
The majority of participants (94,59%) were classified as having a high level of physical activity, whilst no student was classified as having an insufficient level. The total IPAQ score among women was 9060,16±6547,06 (MET-min/week), whilst for men it was 8569,64±5770,5 (MET-min/week). The highest average score across the categories was 3594,96±4433,98 (MET-min/week) and was associated with work-related activity, whilst the lowest average score related to domestic work and amounted to 1427,21±1217,55 (MET-min/week). Women had higher average scores for transport and leisure-time activity, whilst men had higher scores for work and domestic activities. Physically active male and female students achieved a higher total score than those who were physically inactive.
The second-year physiotherapy students taking part in the study were predominantly characterized by a high level of physical activity according to the IPAQ criteria.
Keywords:
students , medical university , healthy lifestyle , movementDownload files
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Vol. 26 (2026)
Published: 2026-01-01
10.31749/2451-0858-SaS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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