Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the physical activity of ‎dormitory students

Regardless of the specific benefits of an active lifestyle, a lack of physical activity is a serious issue in various segments of society including youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and physical activity of dormitory students living at Kharazmi University.

In a cross-sectional study, 288 students residing in the dormitory (189 female and 99 male) were selected randomly and filled out the questionnaires on knowledge, attitude, and physical activity. The DASS-21 scale was used to assess students' depression, anxiety and stress states. Data were analyzed by SPSS software at the significant level of 0/05.

The average scores of knowledge, attitude, and level of physical activity of students were moderate, high, and undesirable. In terms of depression, anxiety, and stress, they had good mental health. The results did not show a significant difference between the scores of knowledge, attitude, and mental health of males and females, but the level of physical activity of males was higher. Also, the attitude and physical activity level of students during the week were significantly correlated with the components of mental health and gender, but no significant relationship was found between the other variables.

Overall, because of the prevalence of inactivity in students, identifying how to increase their level of knowledge and physical activity is necessary.