How sports affect students' behavior in both public and private universities?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of physical activity (PA) on the stress level and mental wellbeing scale. Methods - A number of 122 students from private and public universities participated in this study. We divide our students in two groups. The first group, named insufficiently active students, contains students that doing some physical activity but less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity. The second group, named active students, contains students that doing at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity. Height (m) and weight (kg) were measured, and body mass index (kg/m2) was calculated. Physical activity level, stress level and mental wellbeing scale were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Results- weight, height, BMI and mental wellbeing scale were positively correlated to physical activity. Stress level was negatively correlated to physical activity and was significantly higher in insufficiently students compared to active students. However, clinic characteristics and mental wellbeing scale were not significantly different among the two groups. Conclusion- As a conclusion, we can suggest that active students, doing at least 150 min/wk of moderate physical activity, can decrease the level of stress compared to insufficiently active students or those who do less than 150 min/wk.