Özet:

active and inactive university students and to determine the relationship between physical activity level and perceived benefits/barriers in university students. Methods: The undergraduate students were invited to this cross-sectional survey. A total of 526 students responded to the online survey consisting of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS). The participants were divided into two groups: the active group (n=341) and the inactive group (n=185) based on IPAQ. Results: The most agreed benefit was the item "exercise improves the way my body looks," whereas the most agreed barrier was the item "exercise tires me". Comparison of the active and inactive groups showed that the active group perceived the benefits of exercise higher than the inactive group, especially in terms of life enhancement, physical performance, and psychological outlook (p<0.05). The inactive group perceived more barriers to exercise than the active group, especially in terms of exercise milieu and physical exertion (p<0.05). Moreover, the total physical activity level was positively associated with exercise benefits, especially psychological outlook, while negatively related to barriers, especially exercise milieu and physical exertion (p<0.001). Conclusion: The physical activity participation of university students can be encouraged by increasing their knowledge and perception of the benefits of exercises and by decreasing the barriers that they felt. Therefore, this study's results may contribute to planning interventions and strategies aiming to promote physical activity participation among university students.

Anahtar Kelimeler: