Knee symptoms among college students and their relationship with physical activity behaviors: a cross-sectional...

To investigate the prevalence of knee symptoms among Chinese college students, and then to analyze the association between physical activities or other factors and knee symptoms.

Electronic questionnaires on knee symptoms, engagement in physical activity and other variables were administered from June to November 2022. Valid data were analyzed for 1,111 college students. The potential factors associated with knee symptoms were estimated using logistic regression models.

The prevalence of knee symptoms among Chinese college students was 17.37, and 37.44% of students reported knee sounds after prolonged sitting or standing. After adjusting for other factors, moderate-to-high level of vigorous physical activity (odds ratio [OR] = 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.40-5.06; p < 0.001) or climbing over 20 floors per day (OR = 2.37; 95% CI: 1.06-5.29; p < 0.05) were significantly associated with increased odds of knee symptoms in college students. In addition to knee sounds (OR = 3.54; 95% CI = 2.43-5.16; p < 0.001), knee injury (OR = 7.13; 95% CI = 4.30-11.82; p < 0.001) had the most influence on the prevalence of knee symptoms.

Targeted interventions should be implemented to improve knee health among college students and promote tailored participation in physical activity.