Physical Activity Environments and Adherence to Health Guidelines in Postsecondary Students

Abstract

Sedentary lifestyle is one of the greatest contributors to global mortality. From a public health perspective, identifying modifiable factors that reduce sedentary is important. The objective is to examine associations between postsecondary students’ physical activity environments, including joint physical activity with parents during childhood, engagement in physical activity during adolescence, current parental physical activity, and adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations during young adulthood. We used a community-based sample of 1,514 Canadian students, aged 17-22 years (60.8% female) enrolled during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022. Participants reported joint physical activity with parents during childhood, engagement in physical activity during adolescence, and current parental physical activity. Participants also self-reported screen time (hours/day), physical activity (minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity/week), and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, disability, employment status). Multivariate logistic regressions modeled associations between physical activity environments and adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Engagement in physical activity during adolescence showed a stronger relation with adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations (odds ratio = 1.42, 95% CI, 1.09-1.83; odds ratio = 2.76, 95% CI, 2.11-3.60). Parental involvement in childhood physical activity was associated with adherence to screen time (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% CI, 1.03–1.64) and physical activity recommendations (odds ratio = 1.32, 95% CI, 1.03–1.68). There were no associations with current parental physical activity. Findings highlight the importance of family support for physical activity during childhood and continued activity during adolescence in promoting health.

Full text

Global Journal of Health Science; Vol. 16, No. 11; 2024
ISSN 1916-9736 E-ISSN 1916-9744
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education
24
Physical Activity Environments and Adherence to Health Guidelines
in Postsecondary Students
Rachel Surprenant
1,2
, Emma Cristini
1
, Isabelle Cabot
3,4
, David Bezeau
5
& Caroline Fitzpatrick
1,6
1
Department of Preschool and Elementary School Education, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
2
Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
3
Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, Longueuil, QC, Canada
4
Performa, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
5
Faculty of Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
6
Department of Childhood Education, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Correspondence: Rachel Surprenant, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada. E-mail:
rachel.surprenant@usherbrooke.ca
Received: November 6, 2024 Accepted: November 20, 2024 Online Published: November 25, 2024
doi:10.5539/gjhs.v16n11p24 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v16n11p24
Abstract
Sedentary lifestyle is one of the greatest contributors to global mortality. From a public health perspective,
identifying modifiable factors that reduce sedentary is important. The objective is to examine associations between
postsecondary students’ physical activity environments, including joint physical activity with parents during
childhood, engagement in physical activity during adolescence, current parental physical activity, and adherence
to screen time and physical activity recommendations during young adulthood. We used a community-based
sample of 1,514 Canadian students, aged 17-22 years (60.8% female) enrolled during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022.
Participants reported joint physical activity with parents during childhood, engagement in physical activity during
adolescence, and current parental physical activity. Participants also self-reported screen time (hours/day), physical
activity (minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity/week), and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex,
disability, employment status). Multivariate logistic regressions modeled associations between physical activity
environments and adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations while controlling for
sociodemographic characteristics. Engagement in physical activity during adolescence showed a stronger relation
with adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations (odds ratio = 1.42, 95% CI, 1.09-1.83; odds
ratio = 2.76, 95% CI, 2.11-3.60). Parental involvement in childhood physical activity was associated with
adherence to screen time (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% CI, 1.03–1.64) and physical activity recommendations (odds
ratio = 1.32, 95% CI, 1.03–1.68). There were no associations with current parental physical activity. Findings
highlight the importance of family support for physical activity during childhood and continued activity during
adolescence in promoting health.
Keywords: screen time, physical activity, guidelines, postsecondary students, health-related behavior
1. Introduction
During the transition to adulthood, screen media use often comes to replace other leisure activities (Coyne et al.,
2013). Furthermore, physical activity and fitness levels tend to decline among youth during this transition
(Calestine et al., 2017). Beneficial to health, physical activity refers to any bodily movement produced by muscles
that requires the expenditure of energy (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). Indeed, there is a considerable
proportion of postsecondary students who fail to meet the Canadian 24-Hour movement guidelines (Ross et al.,
2020). Specifically, 63.8% of postsecondary students exceed the recommended maximum of three hours a day of
recreational screen time, and 38.9% fail to achieve the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous-
intensity physical activity (Weatherson et al., 2021). From a population health perspective, it is essential to identify
malleable determinants of the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits in young adulthood.
High levels of screen time and low levels of physical activity are key components of a sedentary lifestyle, which
is recognized as one of the greatest contributors to global mortality (WHO, 2020). A sedentary lifestyle can have

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important repercussions for health, including greater risk of cardiovascular disease (Hall et al., 2021), specific
types of cancers (Biller et al., 2021; Schmid & Leitzmann, 2014), and type 2 diabetes (Biswas et al., 2015). Studies
have also shown associations between sedentary behaviors and mental health outcomes, including higher risks of
depression (Zhou et al., 2023), anxiety (Allen et al., 2019), and higher levels of stress (Hoare et al., 2017).
Sedentary activities, such as excessive screen time and screen media use, have been linked to lower well-being
(Twenge & Campbell, 2018), increased levels of depression (Fitzpatrick et al., 2023), and anxiety (Tiraboschi et
al., 2023), while greater participation contributes to better mental health among postsecondary students (Doré et
al., 2016).
Physical activity is influenced by various individual, family, and socio-cultural factors (Bauman et al., 2012).
Several studies have shown that parental involvement in their child physical activity increases physical activity
engagement among children (Vega-Diaz et al., 2023; Zovko et al., 2021). Similar results have been observed in
adolescents (Henriksen et al., 2016). This parental involvement can be direct, such as joint engagement in physical
activity with the child, or indirect, such as funding sports and physical activities (Hosokawa et al., 2023). In
addition to parental involvement in physical activity during childhood, parents own level of physical activity can
exert a major influence over their child’s physical activity and sedentary habits (Rebold et al., 2016; Vega-Diaz et
al., 2023).
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits, such as regular physical activity, is more likely to last over time if adopted during
childhood or adolescence (Buja et al., 2024; Hills et al., 2015; Jones et al., 2013). Physical activity habits acquired
during adolescence could be significant predictors of sustained health, given the tendency of these behavioral
patterns to persist into adulthood (Lanoye et al., 2017). Moreover, among the reasons given by postsecondary
students in a qualitative study to explain why they meet physical activity recommendations is having engaged in
physical activity during childhood with their family (Cabot & Surprenant, 2022). As such, it remains important to
better understand the extent to which parent-child joint engagement in physical activity and parents own habits are
associated with postsecondary students’ physical activity habits.
As parents play a major role during childhood and adolescence, parental screen time has been identified as a
determinant that can influence child and adolescent screen time (Geurts et al., 2022; Tang et al., 2018). Parental
screen use has been associated with increased adolescent screen time and problematic use of social media, video
games, and mobile phones (Nagata et al., 2024).
Studies have shown that childhood experiences with screens and parental strategies surrounding screen use can
predict screen use in young adults (Mollborn et al., 2021). Previous work suggests that sedentary habits acquired
during childhood tend to persist into adulthood (Jones et al., 2013). As such, it may be the case that more family
support for physical activity contributes to lower screen time in young adulthood. However, there is limited
research on whether childhood physical activity habits and joint parent-child physical activity engagement during
childhood are associated with postsecondary students’ screen use.
Additionally, research has found associations between lifestyle behaviors and sociodemographic factors among
young adults (Carpenter et al., 2021). Age is a factor that influences both screen time and physical activity among
youth. For example, one study indicates that adolescents aged 14-15 years are more likely to experience excessive
screen time compared to young adults aged 18-19 years (Lucena et al., 2015). Moreover, physical activity levels
decline with age, with a significant decrease occurring around the age of 9 (Farooq et al., 2020). Regarding sex,
adolescent males tend to have higher levels of screen time (Tiraboschi et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2019). Physical
activity is also influenced by gender, with boys aged 16-19 being approximately twice as likely as girls of the same
age to meet physical activity recommendations (Xu et al., 2019). Additionally, studies have shown associations
between increased screen time and various health problems (Stiglic & Viner, 2019). Finally, having a part-time job
during the school years affects physical activity levels (Van Domelen, 2015).
To our knowledge, no study has examined whether parental involvement in childhood physical activity,
engagement in physical activity during adolescence and parent physical activity habits, represent determinants of
recreational screen time and physical activity among postsecondary students. Specifically, we aim to investigate
how physical activity environments influence adherence to recreational screen time and physical activity
recommendations. Age, sex, disability or health problems, and employment status were included as control
variables. We expect that parental involvement in childhood physical activity and physical activity during
adolescence will be associated with the adoption of health-promoting behaviors in young adulthood. We also
expect that family support for physical activity will contribute to lower screen time.

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2. Methods
2.1 Participants
This study draws on a community-based convenience sample of 1,706 postsecondary students between the ages
of 17 and 22 (mean age 18.73) recruited from 17 publicly funded colleges in Quebec, Canada. Youth in Quebec
typically attend “collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel” (CEGEPs) after completing high school, prior
to entering university. CEGEP attendance is prevalent, with a rate of 70.2% (Gouvernement du Québec, 2021).
The sample includes two groups of respondents: 815 were recruited in the Fall 2021 semester, and 891 were
recruited in the Winter 2022 semester. Participants completed a questionnaire about their physical activity practice
and were recruited during their first class of the physical education and health course. We collected data on the
characteristics of postsecondary students (e.g., age, sex, disability, employment status), as well as their screen time
and physical activity habits. Our sample contained slightly more women (60.8%) than men. The majority of
respondents reported working outside of school (80.0%) and indicated having no disabilities or health issues
(89.0%). Participants with missing data on control variables were excluded from the study (11.3% of the baseline
sample), resulting in a final sample of 1,514 postsecondary students.
2.2 Procedure
In each participating CEGEP, one or more physical education teachers (n = 35) oversaw student recruitment and
data collection. Detailed instructions on how to present the research project and how to administer the
questionnaires were given to teachers. Depending on the context of the physical education and health course (e.g.
outdoor or gymnasium), participants provided informed consent and completed the questionnaire either on paper
or online and did not receive any reward for their participation. All ethics review committees of participating
institutions approved this study.
2.3 Measures
2.3.1 Independent Variables: Physical Activity Environments
Parental involvement in childhood physical activity
Parental involvement in childhood physical activity was assessed from the following question: “During your
childhood, did you regularly practice physical activity with one or both of your parents?” Participants chose from
the following response options: (1) “Yes”; (2) “No”. Those who did not answer (n = 58) were considered missing.
Engagement in physical activity during adolescence
Engagement in physical activity during adolescence was assessed from the following question: “During your high
school years, did you regularly practice physical activity outside of physical education classes?” Participants chose
from the following response options: (1) “Yes”; (2) “No”. Only one participant did not answer the question.
Parental current physical activity practice
Parental current physical activity practice was assessed from the following question: “Are either (or both) of your
parents currently physically active?” Participants chose from the following response options: (1) “Yes”; (2) “No”;
(3) “Don't know / not applicable”. Those who did not answer (n = 58) were considered missing. Given the low rate
of respondents who answered the option Don't know / not applicable (n = 86), we computed a dichotomous variable
scored as 1 (yes) or 2 (no).
2.3.2 Dependent Variables: Health-Related Behaviors
Recreational screen time
Screen time was assessed from the following question: “How many hours a day do you usually spend on screen
during your free time (outside school or work)?” To ensure the respondent excluded screen time associated to
school or work obligations, a specific question about this screen use was assessed. We also created a variable to
represent the adherence to screen time recommendations among postsecondary students, which is a maximum of
three hours per day of recreational screen time (WHO, 2020; Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, 2021).
We computed a dichotomous variable as 0 (3 h or less/day) or 1 (more than 3 h/day).
Physical activity
Postsecondary students’ participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity during a usual week over the three
months preceding the start of the semester was assessed by asking respondents about the duration (minutes/week),
nature (e.g. swimming, jogging, playing soccer), and intensity (e.g. low, moderate, vigorous) of physical activity.
The responses were subsequently used to calculate a single variable representing the total weekly minutes of

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moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. We also computed a dichotomous variable to represent the
adherence to physical activity recommendations as 0 (less than 150 min/week) or 1 (150 min/week or more). The
WHO (2020) recommends a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity endurance activity, or a
minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity endurance activity, or a combination of both, for health benefits.
The number of minutes spent in vigorous-intensity activity was multiplied by two and then added to the number
of minutes spent in moderate-intensity activity to reflect the WHO's recommendation in which the duration of
vigorous-intensity activity is equivalent to twice the duration of moderate-intensity activity.
2.3.3 Control Variables
We considered age, sex, disability or health problems, and employment status as control variables for health-related
behaviors. Disability or health problems status was coded as 1 = yes and 0 = no. Employment status was
dichotomized as 0 = unemployed and 1 for employed during the school year.
2.4 Data Analysis
We first conducted preliminary analyses, which included descriptive statistics to identify outliers, assess
distributions, and compute means and standard deviations. Next, we examined the extent to which the physical
activity environment of postsecondary students influences their adherence to screen time and physical activity
recommendations. Multivariate logistic regressions are used to model associations between postsecondary students’
physical activity environment and the probability of accumulating 3 hours or less of average daily total screen time
and 150 minutes or more of average weekly total moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. We also estimate
odds of adhering to screen time and physical activity recommendations, adjusting for age, sex, disability or health
problems, and employment status. To limit the impact of extreme values, values outside ± 3 standard deviation
thresholds were considered outliers and removed from the analyses (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2019). IBM SPSS
Statistics 28 for Windows (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used to conduct analyses for this study (Field,
2018).
3. Results
3.1 Descriptive results
Table 1 reports descriptive statistics for continuous and frequencies for categorical variables. A total of 1,514
participants (88.7% of the baseline sample) provided complete data and were used for the analysis. Of the 1,514
postsecondary students, 60.8% (n = 920) of them were women, and 39.2% (n = 594) were men. Most participants
(94%) were aged between 17 and 20 years. Participants in our sample spent on average 3.86 hours per day for
recreational screen time and 48.3% of the sample exceeded daily recommendations of 3 hours or less per day. With
regard to physical activity, participants were engaged in moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity for an
average of 366 minutes per week and 43.8% of the sample did not meet physical activity guidelines.
Tabl e 1 . Descriptive statistics for participants
Mean (SD) Categorical variables (%) Range
Participant characteristics
Age, n = 1514 18.73 (.99) 17-38
Gender, n = 1514
Women 60.8
Men 39.2
Disability or health problem, n = 1514
No 89.0
Yes 11 . 0
Employment status, n = 1514
Employed 80.0
Unemployed 20.0

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Health-related behaviors
Screen time, n = 1507
Recreational screen time (hours/day) 3.86 (2.25) .20-15
Screen time recommendations, n = 1514
Adhering 51.7
Non-adhering 48.3
Physical activity, n = 1374
Moderate to vigorous-intensity (min/week) 275.23 (312.50) 0-2220
Physical activity recommendations, n = 1514
Adhering 56.2
Non-adhering 43.8
Young adult physical activity environments
Parental involvement in childhood physical
activity, n =1456
No 40.5
Yes 59.5
Engagement in physical activity during
adolescence, n = 1513
No 25.2
Yes 74.8
Parental current physical activity practice, n =
1370
No 43.0
Yes 57.0
3.2 Logistic Regression
Table 2 presents the results of the multivariate logistic regression. Engagement in physical activity during
adolescence showed stronger positive relation with adherence both to screen time and physical activity
recommendations among postsecondary students, with each increasing the odds by 142% (odds ratio = 1.42, 95%
CI, 1.09-1.83) and 276% (odds ratio = 2.76, 95% CI, 2.11-3.60) respectively. Furthermore, parental involvement
in childhood physical activity also significantly increased the odds by 130% (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% CI, 1.03–
1.64) and 132% (odds ratio = 1.32, 95% CI, 1.03–1.68) for adherence to screen time and physical activity
recommendations, respectively. All other control variables were not significant, except for the participant's sex.
Being female was associated with adherence to screen time recommendations, increasing the odds by 33% (odds
ratio = 1.33, 95% CI, 1.06–1.66), but decreased the odds of adherence to physical activity recommendations by
50% (odds ratio = 0.50, 95% CI, 0.40–0.64).

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Table 2. Adjusted logistic regression estimating the contribution of participant physical activity environments in
adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations
4. Discussion
A significant proportion of postsecondary students do not adhere to health recommendations, which can lead to
significant negative health consequences for individuals and an increased health burden for societies. Previous
research on health behavior has focused on the socio-demographic determinants of adherence (Ke et al., 2023;
Kelishadi et al., 2016). To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine several key aspects of postsecondary
students’ physical activity, including parental influence on physical activity and physical activity practices during
adolescence, as determinants of adherence to screen time and physical activity recommendations.
Nearly half of our sample (48.3%) exceeded three hours of daily screen time, and almost 44% did not meet physical
activity recommendations. Both parental involvement in childhood physical activity and engagement in physical
activity during adolescence were associated with adherence to recreational screen time and physical activity
recommendations among postsecondary students. Our results underscore the influence of parents on their young
adult children’s health behaviors, even though parents own current physical activity did not influence adherence
to recommendations.
Our findings align with previous studies suggesting that adopting healthy behaviors, such as physical activity,
during childhood and adolescence tends to persist into young adulthood (Buja et al., 2024; Hills et al., 2015; Jones
et al., 2013). Additionally, our results are consistent with research indicating that the family environment plays a
key role in influencing physical activity (Kim et al., 2007), emphasizing the important role of parents in promoting
physical activity during young adulthood (Hosseini et al., 2013). However, we also found that parental involvement
Screen time recommendations
(reference=more than 3h/day)
Physical activity recommendations
(reference=less than 150 min/week)
Odds ratio
(95% CI)
P-Value Odds ratio
(95% CI)
P-Value
Participant physical activity environments
Engagement in physical activity during adolescence
No -- -- -- --
Ye s 1.42 (1.09, 1.83) .009 2.76 (2.11, 3.60) <.001
Parental involvement in childhood physical activity
No -- -- -- --
Ye s 1.30 (1.03, 1.64) .030 1.32 (1.03, 1.68) .026
Parental current physical activity practice
No -- -- -- --
Yes 1.10 (.87, 1.38) .424 1.26 (1.00, 1.60) .055
Participant characteristics
Gender
Girls 1.33 (1.06, 1.66) .013 .50 (.40, .64) <.001
Boys -- -- -- --
Age 1.03 (.94, 1.09) .306 .96 (.90, 1.01) .129
Disability or health problem
No -- -- -- --
Yes .95 (.67, 1.34) .760 .80 (.56, 1.15) .231
Employment status
Unemployed 1.01 (.77, 1.32) .938 .97 (.73, 1.29) .836
Employed -- -- -- --

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in childhood physical activity, along with engagement in physical activity during adolescence, was associated not
only with a greater likelihood of meeting physical activity recommendations but also with adhering to screen time
guidelines.
Regarding sociodemographic correlates, females were more likely to meet screen time recommendations but less
likely to meet physical activity recommendations. Consistent with our findings, previous research has shown that
female postsecondary students have higher odds of adhering to recreational screen time guidelines compared to
males, while they are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than their male counterparts (Almualm & Al-
Rawi, 2024; Weatherson et al., 2021).
This study is not without limitations. First, we used a cross-sectional retrospective design that does not allow for
causal inference. We also used self-reported measures of postsecondary students’ physical activity environments,
screen time, and physical activity, resulting in potential social desirability bias or shared measurement error.
Furthermore, self-reported measures, especially those related to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, may result
in overestimations (James et al., 2016). Self-reported questionnaires are commonly used to assess physical activity
behaviors, however, using objective measures would be preferable (Mouton & Cloes, 2015). Another limitation is
the use of dichotomous independent variables. Parental involvement in childhood physical activity and
engagement in physical activity during adolescence were reported retrospectively, so recall bias is possible.
Replication studies using prospective longitudinal samples are warranted. Additionally, the use of a convenience
sample may limit the generalizability of the findings to other contexts.
The present study also has several strengths. First, we simultaneously examine the associations between three
types of physical activity environments and postsecondary students’ adherence to screen time and physical activity
recommendations in a large sample. Another strength of our study is its ability to identify potentially malleable
determinants of health habits in young adulthood, such as parental involvement in childhood physical activity and
engagement in physical activity during adolescence. Previous studies have explored how sociodemographic factors
influence the adoption of healthy behaviors (Fitzpatrick et al., 2021; Hankonen et al., 2017). Although important,
these determinants are likely to be more difficult to address in the implementation of interventions.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, the present study aimed to investigate how physical activity environments for postsecondary
students, as malleable determinants, influence adherence to recommendations for recreational screen time and
physical activity. Our results suggest that parental involvement in physical activity during childhood and
engagement in physical activity during adolescence are associated with the adoption of healthy behaviors in young
adulthood. These findings highlight the importance of family support for physical activity during childhood and
continued physical activity during adolescence in promoting health throughout young adulthood.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank all CEGEP teachers and students who made this research possible.
Author contributions
Rachel Surprenant: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Funding
acquisition. Emma Cristini: Writing – original draft & review. Isabelle Cabot: Writing – review & editing,
Funding acquisition. David Bezeau: Writing – review & editing. Caroline Fitzpatrick: Conceptualization,
Writing – review & editing, Supervision.
Declaration of conflicting interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Funding
This research has been funded by the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur under the Programme d’aide à la
recherche sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage.
Ethical approval and informed consent
The ethics review boards of all participating institutions approved this study, and all participants provided written
informed consent prior to completing the survey.
Availability of Data and Materials
Not applicable.

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Provenance and Peer Review
Not commissioned; externally double-blind peer reviewed.
Competing Interests Statement
The authors declare that there are no competing or potential conflicts of interest.
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