Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25881120›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2015

Determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in university students: a qualitative study using focus group discussions.

Tom Deliens, Benedicte Deforche, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Peter Clarys

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Article in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 136 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
136citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

136 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  14. Physical Activity of University Students During COVID-19 Restrictions: Evidence from Poland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
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76 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Tom DeliensDepartment of Human Biometry and Biomechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. Tom.Deliens@vub.ac.be.
Benedicte DeforcheDepartment of Human Biometry and Biomechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. Benedicte.Deforche@vub.ac.be.
Ilse De BourdeaudhuijDepartment of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. ilse.debourdeaudhuij@ugent.be.
Peter ClarysDepartment of Human Biometry and Biomechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. pclarys@vub.ac.be.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCollege or university is a critical period regarding unhealthy changes in energy related behaviours in students. The first objective of this explorative study was to identify determinants of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Belgian university students. Secondly, we aimed to collect ideas and recommendations to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviours in university students.

methodsUsing a semi-structured question guide, seven focus group discussions were conducted consisting of 17 male and 29 female university students from a variety of study disciplines, with a mean age of 20.7 ± 1.6 yrs. Using Nvivo9, an inductive thematic approach was used for data analysis.

resultsStudents reported that both physical and sedentary activities were influenced by individual factors (e.g. perceived enjoyment, self-discipline, time and convenience), their social networks (e.g. (lack of) parental control, modelling, social support), physical environment (e.g. availability and accessibility, travel time/distance, prices), and macro environment (e.g. media and advertising). Furthermore, the relationships between determinants and university students' physical activity and sedentary behaviour seemed to be moderated by university characteristics, such as residency, university lifestyle, exams and academic pressure. Recommendations for future physical activity interventions include improving information strategies regarding on-campus sports activities, cheaper and/or more flexible sports subscriptions and formulas, including 'sports time' into the curricula, and providing university bicycles around campus. Students also believed that increasing students' physical activity might decrease their sedentary behaviour at the same time.

conclusionsThe recommendations and ideas discussed in this study may facilitate the development of effective and tailored (multilevel) intervention programs aiming to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviours in university students.

Indexed as

Motor ActivitySedentary BehaviorStudentsFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMalePerceptionQualitative ResearchSocial SupportSportsUniversitiesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID25881120
PMCPMC4349731

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.