Midwifery Students

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ABSTRACT University students spend most of their time in their schools, and the university environment may affect students' nutrition and physical activity. On the contrary, midwifery students are an important part of health labor and should be a role model for individuals they serve in terms of positive health behaviors.This descriptive study aimed to determine physical activity levels of students in the Firat University, Faculty of Health Sciences, department of midwifery.The entire study population was included without sampling, and the study was conducted on 262 students (88.8%). Personal information form and short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using the statistical…show more content…
The distributions were found to be similar to each other.Approximately three fourths of the midwifery students in this study were found to have normal body weight but insufficient physical activity levels. Key words: Body mass index (BMI), midwifery, obesity, physical activity INTRODUCTION Physical activity can be defined as any body movement generated by skeletal muscles, which results in energy consumption (1). Alternatively, these are the activities that are applied on the muscles over the relaxation level, cause energy consumption, and increase the cardiac rhythm and breathe rate (2,3). Physical activity is a powerful determinant of health (4). From slow-pace walking to heavy exercise, physical activity at different levels can result in…show more content…
The personal information form questioned the ages, years in the university, weights, and heights of the students. The international validity and reliability of the IPAQ was tested by Craig et al. (2003)(17). Öztürk (2005) tested the validity and reliability of IPAQ in Turkey (18). This questionnaire consists of seven questions on sitting, walking, and time spent for medium-level activities and high-level activities (19). At least 10 minutes for each activity is the criterion while evaluating all activities. A score of “metabolic equivalent (MET)-min/week” is obtained by multiplying minute, day, and MET value (the multiples of resting oxygen consumption). To calculate the score on walking, the value of 3.3 MET is taken for the time of walking, 4 MET for the medium-level activity, and 8 MET for the high-level activity. Physical activity levels are categorized as physically inactive ( (-- removed HTML --) 3000 MET-min/week). The total score comprises the addition of time (minutes) and frequency (days) of walking, medium-level physical activity, and high level physical activity. The score of sitting (sedentary behavior) is calculated separately (12). Body mass index (BMI) is calculated dividing the body weight in kilogram by the square of height in meters. BMI ≤18.5 kg/m2 is defined as slim, between 18.6 and 24.9 kg/m2 as normal, 25.0 and 29.9

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