Physical activity levels, sleep quality and perceived stress in Chilean students: a cross-sectional study

To describe sleep quality, perceived stress, and physical activity levels, as well as to identify the associations between these variables in fourth-year Kinesiology students at the Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 29 fourth-year Kinesiology students (16 women, 13 men; aged 21-27 years) from a Chilean university. Physical activity was assessed using IPAQ-SF, sleep quality with the PSQI, and perceived stress with the PSS-14. Group comparisons were performed using Student's t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, or chi-square tests as appropriate, with corresponding effect sizes. A linear regression model was used to predict total physical activity from sex and perceived stress.

Men reported significantly higher levels of vigorous (p = 0.001) and total physical activity (p = 0.001) compared to women, with medium-to-large effect sizes. Moderate-intensity activity was higher in men, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.056). No significant sex differences were observed in total perceived stress or overall sleep quality. However, women scored higher on two individual PSS-14 items related to perceived lack of control and overload (p = 0.013 and p = 0.036, respectively). In the regression analysis, sex was a significant predictor of total physical activity (B = -2005.96, standardized β = -0.499, p = 0.004), whereas perceived stress was negatively associated with activity but did not reach statistical significance (B = -69.76, standardized β = -0.267, p = 0.104).

Sex differences in physical activity were observed among Kinesiology students, with women reporting lower moderate-to-vigorous activity, while sleep was similar and two individual stress items differed.