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Correlates of College Students’ Physical Activity: Cross-Cultural Differences

Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, seo{at}indiana.edu

Mohammad R. Torabi, PhD

Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Nan Jiang, PhD

Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Xinia Fernandez-Rojas, PhD

School of Nutrition, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, Costa Rica

Bock-Hee Park, PhD

Department of Food and Nutrition, Mokpo National University, Chonnam, Korea

This study examined cross-cultural differences in personal and behavioral determinants of vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) among college students living in distinctly different cultures, that is, the United States, Costa Rica, India, and South Korea. Participants of this study were recruited from randomly chosen public universities in the 4 countries during the 2006-2007 academic year. A total of 4685 students participated in the study (response rate 90%). Vigorous-intensity PA was measured by asking on how many of the past 7 days the participants participated in PA for at least 20 minutes that made them sweat or breathe hard. For moderate-intensity PA, participants were asked on how many of the past 7 days they participated in PA for at least 30 minutes that did not make them sweat or breathe hard. Findings indicate that whereas perceived overweight and fruit and vegetable consumption are relatively culture-free predictors of PA, gender and TV/video watching are culture-specific predictors. Binge drinking was not predictive of meeting the vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity PA guidelines in any of the 4 countries.

Key Words: college health • cross-cultural difference • moderate-intensity physical activity • survey • vigorous-intensity physical activity

This version was published on October 1, 2009

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 21, No. 4, 421-432 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1010539509344112


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