Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Conducts in University Students

Abstract

University life represents a crucial moment for the development of habits that may persist into adulthood, particularly those related to physical activity, defined as any bodily movement that expends energy above the basal metabolic rate. The aim of this research is to systematize the methodological and theoretical processes regarding physical activity levels and sedentary behaviors in university students using the PRISMA protocol. For this purpose, we explored digital repositories such as Latindex, Redalyc, Scielo, Dinalnet, and Google Scholar to subsequently select scientific articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which resulted in 22 articles. These studies reported a predominance of low physical activity levels and a high prevalence of sedentary behaviors, primarily linked to academic and leisure activities such as prolonged use of electronic devices, time spent sitting in classes, and screen-based activities. The studies mostly used questionnaires like IPAQ, GPAQ, SIMPAQ, and SBQs, which allowed for standardized measurement of these variables. The findings highlight the need for specific interventions that address both the promotion of physical activity and the reduction of sedentary behaviors.