Gendered embodiment of sedentary behaviour and its impact on mental wellbeing in physiotherapy higher education: a sequential mixed methods study

Prolonged sedentary behaviour (SB) among university students is a growing concern, yet its impact on mental wellbeing (MWB) cannot be fully understood without considering its embodied nature: how it is experienced through the body in relation to social expectations. This study employs a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative phase examined SB patterns using activPAL™ devices and MWB through the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, among 60 physiotherapy university students. The qualitative phase, based on an ethnographic intended approach and focus groups, explored gendered experiences of SB through Csordas’ theory of embodiment. Gender-stratified correlation analyses revealed key patterns: among women, shorter SB bouts (< 30 min) were positively associated with MWB, whereas prolonged bouts (> 60 min) corresponded to lower MWB scores. These associations were not observed among men. Two themes were identified through an abductive thematic analysis during the qualitative phase: gendered constructions of rest-time, and SB as shaped by gendered constraints. Women reported internalized pressures to remain productive, often experiencing guilt during non-productive rest, whereas men framed SB as leisure, free from self-surveillance. While device-measured SB patterns were similar across genders, their embodied experiences differed, as well as the perception of MWB attributed to the SB patterns. These findings highlight SB as a socially constructed and embodied experience. Gender-sensitive approaches to student MWB must consider how SB is internalized and regulated through cultural norms to avoid reinforcing existing inequalities.