Objective:

To evaluate the association between the social networks of friends and the cardiorespiratory capacity in university students.

Methodology:

A cut-off study was carried out in 2018; with random sampling of complete course groups for each program and academic semester with 475 participants. Weight, height, body mass index, and a survey were used to determine the level of physical activity, sedentary activities, and social network metrics (such as network density, network centrality, social popularity, group membership, rate of physically active friends, and rate of friends with high cardiorespiratory capacity).

Results:

The variables of the social network show a different behavior according to sex. Regarding the social network in women, an increase in the rate of physically active friends by 10 % increases the possibility of having high cardiorespiratory capacity by 150 % (or: 2.50, CI: 1.01-6.21); increasing social relationships (network centrality) decreases the probability of having high cardiorespiratory capacity by 65 % (or: 0.35, CI: 0.19-0.65); having high social popularity increases the chance of having high cardiorespiratory capacity by 120 % (or: 2.20, CI: 1.07-4.55). In men, no association was found between the variables of the social network and the cardiorespiratory capacity.

Conclusions:

Cardiorespiratory capacity is influenced by the social network of university friends, and its behavior differs according to sex. The social network in which the subjects operate is a medium where healthy and unhealthy behaviors are shared and transmitted.

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