State and status of physical education in tertiary institutions in selected European countries in the second decade of the 21st century

Background: For the majority of students, the transition into higher education seems to have deleterious effects on their physical activity (PA) behaviors and motivation. To tackle students' physical inactivity, reforms in higher education were supposed to reinvent physical education (PE) programs, revise their objectives and tasks. Nevertheless, European universities are experiencing a physical activity crisis, and recent generations of students are facing health problems due to underprovided levels of PA. Objective: The aim of this descriptive study was to analyze the state and status of physical education in higher education in selected European countries with regards to its curriculum and resources. Methods: Quantitative data were collected from 66 tertiary institutions from various countries in Europe. The questionnaire was used to gather information regarding characteristics of tertiary institutions, sport and leisure facilities, types and characteristics of PA programs available for students. Results: PE classes were obligatory in 44% and facultative in 30.3% of tertiary institutions; 22.7% of the institutions offered mixed PE curricula. The most popular team sports were volleyball, soccer and basketball, whereas fitness and functional training were the most popular types of individual PA. PE sessions lasted one or two semesters in 53% of the institutions. In 12% of establishments, PE was not part of curricula. In 60% of institutions, PE curricula consisted of 31-60 academic hours during the entire study program, and 55% of establishments charged additional fees for sports activities. In 55% of the analyzed institutions, physical fitness assessments were conducted only to determine students' eligibility to participate in team sports. Conclusions: The research study investigated problems of insufficient PA levels in higher education, indicating several reasons for this state of affairs. The study recommends that PE curricula are thoughtfully planned and executed with improved financing. Furthermore, PE ought to be combined with health education to promote active and healthy lifestyles among students.