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University students' barriers to exercise

University of British Columbia. Sustainability Office

In this study, we investigated whether the likelihood for University of British Columbia (UBC) students to meet the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) recommended physical activity guideline of 150 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise per week was impacted by their commuting demands, course load and access to fitness facilities. Data was collected through convenience sampling on campus, with a self-report questionnaire administered on iPads. Participants’ objective and subjective barriers to exercise were both measured through the questionnaire. Results indicate that not only are UBC students not meeting the fitness guidelines, but also that they are subjectively attributing their lack of exercise to their course load. However, in regards to objective measures, we did not find any significant correlations between students’ course load or commuting demands and their level of physical exercise. This suggests that students are overestimating how much course load influences their exercise. We did, however, find a significant positive correlation between the cost students are paying for their fitness facilities and their total exercise time. Physical exercise is an important factor for the overall well-being of UBC students, which in turn can affect their academic performance. Thus, UBC should be interested in the implications that this research has on their student life. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Text

University of British Columbia. PSYC 321; UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0108887

Arts, Faculty of; Psychology, Department of

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/