Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-RODRIGUEZ, Fernando et al. Differences in body composition and physical activity in university students according to the year of admission. Univ. Salud [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.3, pp.474-481. ISSN 0124-7107.  https://doi.org/10.22267/rus.161803.52.

Introduction: The university stage is a determining process when consolidating people’s habits of life, where students are forced to change most of their habits favoring a poor diet, poor organization of time and less physical activity, which at the same time, has an impact on the condition and physical structure and can significantly affect the health status of this population. Objective: To determine the differences in body composition and physical activity in university students according to their year of admission. Materials and methods: The study involved 287 male and female students (171 women and 116 men) who belonged to the faculties of Philosophy and Education, Engineering and Science, who underwent an anthropometric assessment to estimate body composition with De Rose and Guimaraes equations and a frequency of physical activity questionnaire. Results: The results show that there are differences in Body Mass Index and fat mass among female students of first and second year and between the first and fifth year in men. Muscle mass had no significant differences between groups, but there is negative changes between Body Mass Index and fat mass from students newly admitted versus students in their last year. Conclusions: During the university stage, students face a critical period that affects their physical activity level and nutritional status, which could get worse for students with more years at the university.

Keywords : University students; body composition; motor activity.

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