Assessment of the physical activity and nutrition of the second year students of Nicolae Testemitanu SUMPh

Abstract

Introduction. Sedentariness annually kills more than 5.3 million people worldwide, representing 10% of the total deaths reported worldwide. Sedentariness and unbalanced diet is also common among students. These in turn brings various negative consequences on the health of the young adult such as metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunctions but also obesity, depression, etc. Aim of the study. This study aims to evaluate the nutrition and daily activities of the 2nd year students. The aim of the study is to provide students with the general picture of the activity and the nutrition habits, serving as a reason for encouraging lifestyle improvement. Materials and methods. In order to achieve the aim of the present research, 50 students of the 2nd year, aged between 20 and 24 years, were questioned. The questionnaire included grid questions with one and several variants of responses, matrix type questions and open questions regarding the physical activities and diet. Results. Following the questionnaire, it was found that 80% of students do not follow a diet, 23% of them eat fast food every week and every 3rd student consumes sweets every day. Even if the most important meal of the day is lunch, 30% of students are used to eat after 10 pm. Liquid consumption is in 50% of cases - 1-1.5L. Analyzing the physical activity, it was found that 63% of students practice light physical activities only once a week, in 66% of cases the students spend their free time by reading, listening music or using the PC or tablet. Even though, 76% of the students would be motivated to change their lifestyle, 52% of them affirm that they are discouraged by the lack of time and 26% - by laziness. Conclusions. About 6 out of 10 students with unbalanced diet and reduced physical activity may develop complications such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, depression, etc. Thus, to raise awareness and prevent the occurrence and development of such diseases among students, a set of measures is needed to be taken both students, society, mass media, NGOs, etc.