Physical activity, mental health, and academic stress among college students in the health sciences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.119058Keywords:
Physical activity, anxiety , depression, academic stress, mental healthAbstract
Introduction: Academic stress and mental health issues are common among university students, especially in health-related programs that demand high academic performance. Physical activity has been identified as a potential strategy to mitigate these problems.
Objective: This research aimed to analyze the relationship between physical activity, academic stress, and mental health in health-related university students, exploring how physical activity may influence these aspects.
Methodology: A quantitative approach was used with a correlational and cross-sectional design. Questionnaires on physical activity, academic stress, and mental health were applied to a sample of 210 students from medicine, nursing, and psychology programs. Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlations, and multiple regressions were conducted to analyze the data.
Results: The results indicated that physical activity was negatively correlated with academic stress and positively correlated with mental health. Students who engaged in regular physical activity reported lower levels of stress and better mental health conditions. Multiple regression analysis showed that physical activity is a significant predictor of both academic stress and mental health.
Discussion: The findings support previous studies suggesting that physical activity is effective in reducing stress and improving mental health in demanding academic environments, particularly in health fields.
Conclusions: It was concluded that promoting physical activity among health-related university students can be an effective strategy to reduce academic stress and improve mental health.
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