Physical Activity; Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Students Living in Semnan University of Medical Sciences Dormitories in Semnan, Iran

Introduction Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in health promotion as well as disease prevention, especially among young adults. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards PA among medical sciences students living in university dormitories in Semnan, Iran. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 421 students living in the dormitories of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran, were randomly included to the study. Students’ knowledge of physical activity (KPA), attitudes of physical activity (APA), and practices of physical activity (PPA) were investigated using a targeted questioner. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 at the significance level of 0.05. Results Participants included 165 (39.2%) male and 256 (60.85%) female students with the mean age of 21.05 ± 2.7 years. The mean scores of KPA, APA and PPA were 48.74 ± 16.01, 58.91 ± 9.02, and 232.5 ± 334.42 minutes per week, respectively. Students’ APA had a significant correlation with age (P value = 0.007, r = 0.70) and there was a significant difference (P value = 0.008), between recorded APA from the male group (57.40 ± 10.01) compared to the female group (59.88 ± 8.20), whereas no statistically significant correlation was seen between other variables in the study (P > 0.05). Conclusions Most of the students had moderate KPA and APA and also an unfavorable PPA. More attention should be paid in improving the KPA, APA, and PPA of medical sciences students living in university dormitories.