Physical Activity and Nutrition Status in the University Students: A Mix method Study

This study examined the beliefs of a group of university students about physical activities, healthy nutritional patterns in the context of Tehran, Iran. This study was a mixed method. Participants of the study were 100 university students that selected by convenience sampling method from Tehran-located universities. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the data. Only 30% of them had regular physical activity. Body Mass Index (BMI) has mostly been in the normal range and % 17 were overweight. The important barriers were university courses, living in out-of-home settings, and time shortage as the factors barred them from having physical activities and healthy nutrition patterns. Students’ knowledge about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle was desirable. Living in academic settings and preparing for exams which triggers stress, reduce nutrition pattern and physical activities as two factors related to life quality. Therefor, planning and evaluation of environmental health-promoting interventions was proposed.