Percepcion de la salud y la relacion en actividad fisica en estudiantes de pregrado de primer semestre de la Universidad Santo Tomas de Bogota

Abstract

First-semester university students face a new stage of academic and social adaptation that can affect their overall health. Although physical activity is recognized as a protective factor for mental health, there is conflicting evidence regarding its actual relationship with perceived health, especially in more specific populations such as students beginning their university studies. The objective of this study is to relate perceived health to the level of physical activity in first-semester students at the Santo Tomás University in Bogotá. The research is conducted using a quantitative, descriptive-correlational approach with a crosssectional design. The population consists of students enrolled in their first semester of undergraduate studies, while the sample will be non-probabilistic and based on convenience, with a minimum of 30 participants. Two validated instruments will be used for data collection: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) (low, moderate, or vigorous activity levels) and the SF-36 Health Survey, which assesses perceived health in its physical and mental dimensions. This study aims to identify whether a statistically significant relationship exists between the level of physical activity and the perception of health among first-semester students, providing evidence for future institutional interventions aimed at promoting active lifestyles and improving the overall well-being of the university community. The results were not as expected, since previous research had found that physical activity had benefits on perceived health. However, in this population, the opposite was found: the higher the level of physical activity, the lower the perceived emotional health. The study, with its statistical sample, data collection, and information gathering, had a small sample size, which may have been a limitation. It is suggested that research be conducted with a much larger population and that include variables such as sleep and other factors that may influence health perception. Simply including physical activity as a factor does not definitively establish that it is the variable influencing students' health perception.