Low levels of health-related physical fitness among university students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of low health-related physical fitness levels among university students in terms of muscle-skeletal components (motor performance). A total of 234 students (112 girls and 122 boys aged 17 to 29 years), enrolled in different courses of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, participated in the study. The test battery proposed by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology was used: handgrip strength, push-ups, sit and reach, vertical jump, partial curl-ups, and back extension. The results showed a prevalence of health-related physical fitness indicators below the recommended (16.6%, 13.4% for girls and 19.6% for boys). Specifically, the following prevalence rates of university students who did not reach the recommended criteria were observed: 69.2% for vertical jump, 62% for arm extension, 38.4% for handgrip strength, 13.2% for trunk flexibility, 11.1% for dorsal strength, and 10.7% for abdominal endurance. Low physical fitness levels were observed among the evaluated university students, a finding suggesting the importance of the implantation of programs for the development and/or maintenance of physical fitness so that these students adopt a more active and healthier lifestyle throughout their lives