Physical Activity

Students were asked to select how many days in the last week they had done any of the following exercise types: moderate, vigorous, or strength training exercises.1

As a reminder, students had the option to select “Prefer not to answer” for all questions, and these responses were set as missing values. In addition, 11 (6.0%) students did not finish the survey. The n reporting refers to the total number of non-missing responses, while the percent reporting reflects the percent of non-missing responses.

Physical Activity Type

Table 9.1. Physical Activity Patterns.
Days 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Moderate Exercise 46 (28.0%) 26 (15.9%) 24 (14.6%) 27 (16.5%) 16 (9.8%) 14 (8.5%) 1 (0.6%) 10 (6.1%)
Strength Training 77 (47.0%) 25 (15.2%) 26 (15.9%) 17 (10.4%) 10 (6.1%) 7 (4.3%) 1 (0.6%) 1 (0.6%)
Vigorous Training 92 (55.4%) 16 (9.6%) 18 (10.8%) 16 (9.6%) 8 (4.8%) 10 (6.0%) 4 (2.4%) 2 (1.2%)

Figure 9.1. Physical Activity Patterns.

Survey Questions: On how many of the past 7 days did you: (Please mark the appropriate column for each row)

  • Do moderate-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise (caused a noticeable increase in heart rate, such as brisk walk) for at least 30 minutes? (n=164, 90% of 182 reporting)

  • How often did you do 8-10 strength training exercises (such as resistance weight machines) for at least 8 repetitions each? (n=166, 91% of 182 reporting)

  • How often did you do vigorous-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise (caused large increases in breathing or heart rate, such as jogging) for at least 20 minutes? (n=166, 91% of 182 reporting)

Additional Notes: For each exercise type, students had the option to select anywhere from zero days per week to seven days per week. In the table, percentages are calculated across rows.

Summary: The majority of students reported doing moderate-intensity exercises at least once in the past seven days, and 46 (28.0%) reported doing this zero times. About half the students reported doing strength training exercises at least once in the past 7 days, and 77 (47.0%) reported doing this zero times. Less than half of the students reported doing vigorous-intensity cardio or aerobic exercises at least once in the past 7 days, and 92 (55.4%) reported doing this zero times.


Weekly Physical Activity

Figure 9.2. Weekly Physical Activity (n=163, 90% of 182 reporting)

Survey Questions: See Questions Above

Additional Notes: This variable was created using the variables in the Physical Activity Type section. Anyone who performed any type of weekly physical activity (moderate-intensity, strength training, or vigorous-intensity) for one or more days was set to “Yes,” and anyone who performed no physical activity per week was set to “No.”

Summary: A total of 122 (74.8%) students performed any type of physical activity at least once per week, while 41 (25.2%) performed no weekly physical activity.



Footnotes:

  1. These questions were developed based on the Surgeon General’s physical activity guidelines for adults who recommend: 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise, 75 minutes to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. They also recommend strength-training activities on 2 or more days a week.


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