Sport and other motor activities of Warsaw students

Study aim: To assess the engagement of students of Warsaw university schools in sports and in recreational motor activities.

Material and methods: A cohort (n = 1100) of students attending B.S. or M.S. courses at 6 university schools in Warsaw were studied by applying questionnaire techniques. The questions pertained to participation in competitive sports and in recreational motor activities throughout the last year.

Results: 8% of all students participated in competitive sports, 5% were members of college athletic clubs. Over 90% of students declared practicing leisure motor activities regularly (53%), seasonally (29%) or occasionally (11%). Most differences were related to the study year, 2^nd year students being more active than their 4^th year mates.

Conclusions: Higher engagement of 2^nd than of 4^th year students in motor activities may result from obligatory, curricular physical education activities. Academic communities ought to undertake substantial effort towards shaping continuous health-directed habits of students.