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The comparison of selected lifestyle variables of first-year students at two universities in Košice

100%

Bakalár P., Matúš I., Hančová M.

Physical Activity Review

2016

vol. 4

192-199

The objective of the presented paper was to compare the selected variables of lifestyle in first - year students at two universities in Košice. The research sample group consisted of the first - year students of the P. J. Šafá rik University in Košice (UPJŠ, n=918, 651 women and 267 men) and the Technical University in Košice (TUKE, n=653, 239 women and 414 men). We compiled our own test battery named “The risk factors of obesity and its prevention through physical activity” and administered it to students at the beginning of the respective academic years (September 2012 and September 2013). Presented paper focuses on questions related to: the students' satisfaction with their lifestyle, students expressing a need to change their lifestyle, frequency of structured physical activity, motivation to engage in structured physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and a structure of leisure activities. To process the collected data, we used the statistical software R. To test the signific ance of differences between the universities we used the Wilcoxon rank - sum test. N o significant difference between the universities was found on variables indicating the satisfaction with lifestyle. The most repeated lifestyle components that students of b oth universities would like to change were physical activity and dietary habits. These data reflect the findings that in the last half year over 61.5 % of UPJŠ students and 48.9 % of TUKE students were engaged in structured physical activity either irregul arly or they were not engaged in any structured physical activity at all. Another analysis of significant difference (p<0.001) between the two universities was employed to indicate the frequency with which students engaged in structured physical activity. The analysis revealed a higher frequency in students of TUKE. The analysis also confirmed that the gender of a respondent had a greater influence on that difference than the university they attended. The students of both universities indicated that figure (appearance), enjoyment, health and physical fitness were the main motivators for structured physical activity. The difference between the universities, with regard to variables indicating the time which students spent engaged in sedentary behaviours was s ignificant (p<0.001) during both working days and weekend days, where gender had no influence on this difference. Sedentary behaviours prevailed among the most common leisure activities in students of both universities. At the beginning of their university studies, lifestyle of a large number of first - year students at the two universities is characterized by the low level of engagement in structured physical activity and by sedentary leisure activities, with the existing differences between genders and the universities.

Body composition of undergraduates – comparison of four different measurement methods

88%

Brtková M., Bakalár P., Matúš I., Hančová M., Rimárová K.

vol. 2

38-44

The objective of this study was to determine body composition of university students using four different methods and to find out the extent of agreement between these methods regarding the measurement of body fat percentage in body composition. The study group consisted of 52 students of the P.J. Šafárik University in Košice (29 males and 23 females) whose average age was 22.4 ± 1.9. The study group was formed by convenience sampling. Basic somatometric parameters (body height and weight) were determined and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The body fat percentage was determined by indirect methods, that is by measuring skinfold thickness at 10 locations on the body using calliper Best II.K501 and by bioimpendance method using devices Bodystat 1500, Omron BF511 (tetra-polar electrode configuration) and Omron BF300 (bi-polar electrode configuration). Profile analysis based on one-sample Hotelling’s test with chi-squared approximation was used for assessing agreement among given four methods of body fat measurements. Statistical analysis of differences among methods was supplemented by the Bland-Altman graphical method with the Wilcoxon paired test. The whole statistical analysis was performed using Excel and software R. Hotteling’s Test (p < 2.2e-16) rejected the hypothesis of agreement between the methods. The greatest influence on this rejection was attributed to the Omron BF511 method. In addition, the results of Wilcoxon’s matched pairs test confirmed the difference of the Omron BF511 method from the other three measurement methods. Bland-Altman graphical analysis showed that the Omron BF511 provided clearly higher values in comparison to the three remaining measurement methods of body fat percentage. The skinfold measurement, the Omron BF300 and the Bodystat 1500 were almost identical. For all the indirect methods it is necessary to validate the accuracy of their measurements using reference methods for the current local population. The skinfold thickness measurement method by Pařízková meets this requirement. Based on our results, the values determined by the devices Omron BF300 and Bodystat 1500 can also be considered applicable. The Omron BF511 does not provide results that could be considered sufficiently accurate for the purposes of research. In order to verify this conclusion the larger group of probands (n = 100 - 300) and a method of repeated measurements would be necessary.

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2 Physical Activity Review

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2 Bakalár P.

2 Hančová M.

2 Matúš I.

1 Brtková M.

1 Rimárová K.

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The comparison of selected lifestyle variables of first-year students at two universities in Košice

Body composition of undergraduates – comparison of four different measurement methods