Introduction:

Sedentary lifestyle is a public health problem, being a latent risk for chronic non-communicable diseases. In a previous study at Fundación Universitaria María Cano, a sedentary lifestyle of 97% was found in students. The purpose of the study is to contribute to the understanding of sedentary behavior in physical therapy students, which is a key information for the institution to generate effective strategies to encourage sports and physical practice, considering the students' motivations.

Methodology:

A quantitative approach study, with a non-experimental and cross-sectional design. 178 physiotherapy students (1st to 7th semester) participated. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the CAMIAF (Questionnaire of Attitudes, Motivations, and Interests towards Physical-Sports Activities) were applied.

Results:

Young population, mostly women (77.5%), aged between 16 and 36, with an average of 21.3 (SD: ±3.244). Sixty-four percent stated that they did not practice sport or physical activity (PA) on a regular basis. A significant association was found between age and the following factors: competence (all variables), personal capacity (for self-improvement), adventure (to socialize and meet people), hedonism (because I want to be famous and popular), and physical fitness (to improve my image and physical appearance). 92.2% of the participants state that the University motivates the practice of PA with permanent physical sessions (34.9%) and academic incentive (28.6%).

Conclusions:

Among the motivations for the practice of PA, the following factors predominate in this order: competition, social and recreational, and aesthetic. The least motivating factor was the emotional one.

Limitations:

The motivational construct is multidimensional; an additional qualitative approach could improve the understanding of the findings.

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