Sedentary behaviour in Australian university students: The contribution of study-related sedentary behaviour to total sedentary behaviour

Issue Addressed

Seated activities are attributed to increased sedentary behaviour (SB) and adverse health effects, but little is currently known about university students' SB, particularly study-related SB. This study describes the sociodemographic variations of domain-specific SB in regional Australian university students and the contribution of study-related SB to total SB.

Methods

Self-reported daily SBs from a cross-sectional survey of 451 students were used. Domain-specific and total SB were described within sub-groups, and differences examined using independent t-tests. Multinomial regression was used to examine the association of tertiles of duration in study-related SB with total and other domain-specific SBs.

Results

Study participants were a median age of 21 (19–25 years), mostly female (76%) and represented different years of study. On average, students spent 882 ± 292 min/day in total SB, with most SB occurring in the study, screen time and ‘other activity’ domains. No sociodemographic variations were found in total SB, but significantly higher study-related SB were reported by students studying full time (p < .001) and who moved from their family home to study (p < .022). Study-related SB contributed 36% of total SB, with students most sedentary during study having the highest total SB.

Conclusions

This study suggests university students have high levels of SB, primarily in the domains of study, screen time and other activities. SB reduction strategies in universities and targeting screen time, across various sociodemographic groups (e.g., gender, university enrolment status, and living arrangements), may be important in reducing SB in university students.

So What?

University students are highly sedentary and should be included in SB programs especially students studying full time and those who moved from their family home in the study domain.