Relationship between body composition and level of physical activity among university students

Introduction: the body composition and lifestyle of university students are infl uenced by behavioral, psychological, socioeconomic and cultural factors. Objective: to analyze body composition and its correlation with lifestyle in a sample of university students in the health area living at the Ribeirao Preto Campus of the University of So Paulo (USP). Methodology: a cross-sectional study was conducted on 501 students enrolled in USP courses of the Ribeirao Preto Campus. Weight and height were measured and body composition was determined by bioelectrical impedance. The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was then applied. Results: The sample predominantly consisted of females (73.05%), with 26.95% males. The averages of age, weight, stature body mass index (BMI), total fat mass and fat-free mass were 20.42.8 years, 63.013.5 kg, 166.99.0 cm, 22.43.4 kg/m, 24.07.5%, 45.310.3 kg, respectively. Although almost 70% of the students were in the normal BMI range, 70.8% of them had high levels of fat mass.