Physical Inactivity as a Pandemic: Daily Activities and Dietary Practices

Numerous studies have linked a decline in physical activity (PA) around the world to an increase in chronic diseases. There were two key goals for this study. The first was to observe how daily activities affected physical health in terms of VO₂max. The second aim was to investigate the effect of university students' dietary practices on levels of PA.

A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 subjects (41 males and 34 females) with an average age of 27.3 [SD 5.8] years. The respondents' physical activity in the previous seven days was classified as vigorous activity, moderate activity, walking, and sitting using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were reported at the baseline, during Lent (week 7 of the vegan diet), and seven weeks later (week 14). To determine Maximum Oxygen Consumption-the VO2max, the Queen's College Step Test [QCST] was used.

There was a major difference in mean VO2max between males and females, with males getting a higher VO2max. There was no connection between VO2max and changes in dietary adherence/transition. Based on physical activity study, there were no major variations between subjects (walking Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) and moderate MET). However, a thorough Vigorous MET showed major gender gaps. The majority of the participants in the current study spent 35 (46.7%) of their time studying and 19 (28%) of their time attending class lectures, with some students using more time than others.

Researches that may conduct in university and/or college students may provide early information to help the students understand their physical fitness. According to the findings of this limited prospective study, students spend the majority of their time engaging in sitting for various purposes. In turn, regardless of whether they followed a vegan or omnivorous diet, these study participants had low VO2 max.