University Students' Transtheoretical Model-Based Sedentary Behaviors, Physical Activity Levels and Related Factors

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine university students' sedentary behaviors based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), physical activity levels (PAL) and related factors. Methods: The study was carried out using a descriptive design with 504 students at a university in Istanbul. Data were collected using the socio-demographic characteristics diagnostic form, the Transtheoretical Model Sedentary Behavior Scales (TTM-SBS) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF). Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney-U test and Chi-Square test were used for statistical analysis and significance level p < .05 was accepted. Results: While 18.9% of the students midly obese or obese, 81% of them did not participate in regular physical exercise. The majority of females were in the sedentary behaviors change preparation stage (29.4%) and the majority of males (29.1%) were in the action stage (p < .05). Sedentary behavior change pros perception score was above average, while cons perception and self-efficacy scores were below average. According to IPAQ-SF, 31.3% of the students were low active, 45.7% were moderate active, 23.0% were high active, and 18.2% had a sitting time of eight hours or more per day. Women were found moderate active, whereas men, workers and smokers were very active (p Conclusions: Males, underweight, first-grade students, those with no family history of physical activity, and those without a mentor were found to be more resistant to sedentary behavior change.