ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND

STRESS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

STUDENT NAME:
ZIFRA MUSTAFA
NIMRA LODHI
SUPERVISOR: DR. SYEDA SERINE
PROGRAM: DOCTOR OF PHYSIOTHERAPY

BHITAI INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY AND REHABILITATION SCIENCES

MIRPURKHAS
CONTENTS
Introduction
Literature
 review
Significance
Objective
Materials and methods
Results
Discussion
References
INTRODUCTION
Stress is our body’s response to the changing surroundings; stimulus in any form affects and
demands a response in physical, mental, and emotional capabilities. Stress is considered dangerous
only when it affects normal daily routine functioning. Stress is pervasive among medical students
because of various psychological factors and elevated academic burden. Stress makes the person
anxious and changes all the body's systems.All these effects of stress can be devastating and need
to be addressed. High levels of stress can affect students' mental health to such an extent that stress
and depressive thoughts were found to be linked to suicidal thoughts among medical students.
(Mahmood.M. Afzal
Mt,2021)
Physical activity is categorized as a positive leisure activity, which is linked to many health
benefits. For this research, physical activity is defined as any movement between skeletal
muscles that exerts energy. It is categorized as low, moderate, vigorous and strength training
activities and must be consecutive for at least 20 minutes.
(Wike HK,2015)
 LITERATURE REVIEW

• A study on Correlation of Stress with Physical Activity Among Students of DPT. According to
the results the study revealed a substantial prevalence of high stress (62.5%) among DPT
students. Physical activity patterns varied, with 42.0% engaging in high activity, 42.9% in low
activity, and 15.2% in moderate activity. Surprisingly, no significant correlation was found
between stress levels and physical activity. This study concluded that While stress is prevalent
among DPT students, this study did not establish a significant correlation with physical
activity. The findings emphasize the importance of tailored interventions to address stress and
promote well-being, suggesting a multifaceted approach beyond traditional expectations.
These insights contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding student mental health and
inform strategies to enhance the overall health of DPT students.

(Hassam Sohail 2023)

• A study on Exercise-related coping beliefs predict physical activity levels in response to
naturally occurring stress: A daily diary study of college students. According to the results
Beliefs about the coping properties of physical activity significantly moderated the effects of
daily stress (b = 0.19, SE = 0.09, p = .02), and combined daily and chronic stress (b = 0.01, SE
= 0.01, p < .01), on students' daily exercise. This study concluded that College students' beliefs
about physical activity are associated with changes in their daily exercise following exposure
to naturally-occurring stressors. Such beliefs may be amenable to intervention to promote
adaptive coping with stress and enhanced physical activity.

(Elizabeth D Dalton, 2022)

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

• Stress and physical activity play crucial roles in the well-being of

undergraduate students. Regular physical activity has been linked to
improved mood, reduced stress levels, and enhanced cognitive function,
which can positively impact academic performance. Conversely, high stress
levels may hinder academic success and contribute to various health issues.
Balancing physical activity with effective stress management strategies is
essential for promoting overall student health and academic success.
 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• The objective of this study is to find out the association between physical
activity and stress among undergraduate students
 MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY

2.1 STUDY DESIGN: It was a cross-sectional study.

2.2 STUDY SETTING: The study setting was the undergraduate students of Bhitai Institute of
Physiotherapy And Rehabilitation Sciences Mirpur Khas and Bhitai Dental And Medical College Mirpur
Khas.
2.3 STUDY DURATION: The duration of the study was 6 months after the approval of synopsis.
2.4 SAMPLE SIZE: Data was collected from 200 undergraduate students
2.5 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: Non-probability convenient sampling technique will be used in
selection of study sample after screening with inclusion and exclusion criteria.
2.5.1 INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• Age: 18-25
• Under graduate students was included.
• Both Male and Female gender was included.
• Questionnaire filled between semester

2.5.2 EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

• Students who did not fill the questionnaire
• Students with any physical deformity
• Post graduate students were excluded.

2.6 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE: Before starting data collection, research approval letter for
study was obtained from the ethical committee of BIPRS, Bhitai institute of physiotherapy and rehabilitation sciences
MirpurKhas. Individual participating was provided by questionnaire to fill out and as well as interview was done with
the participants. &Consent form was signed from participant.
2.7 DATA COLLECTION TOOL:
• 7 items standard questionnaire name IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) was used for
physical activity
• 10 items standard questionnaire name PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) was used for stress

2.8 DATA ANALYSIS: Data was analyzed through SPSS 22.

2.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION: The questionnaire was administered to the
participant’s, with the permission of ethical review committee of BIPRS Mirpurkhas. Informed
consent was taken before administrating the questionnaire to the participants. Participants were free
to refuse or join this study and the data was kept anonymously and confidential and used only for
research purpose. Data was coded and permission had been taken from ethical review committee.
 RESULTS

• Result shows the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents who were selected
from Mirpurkhas. Firstly the gender was categorized into male and female. Among the
participants, 146(73%) were female and remaining 54(27%) were male. Secondly The age
was categorized into two groups majority of respondents 110(55%) fall within the 18-21 age,
while 90(45%) are aged 22-25. Regarding department affiliation, the distribution is as
follows: 131(65.5%) of respondents are studying physiotherapy, 69(34.5%) are in Bachelor
of Dental Surgery (BDS). Other demographic variable is years of study. The year of study
data shows a relatively even distribution among the first five years of university, with the
fourth year having the highest representation at 47(23.5%) followed closely by the first year
at 43(21.5%). The second year accounts for 40(20%) while the third year and the final year
both have the least representation at 35(17.5%) which may indicate that fewer students are in
their third and final year or that they are less likely to participate in surveys.
PREVALENCE OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

VARIABLES CATEGORES FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

GENDER Male 54 27%

Female 146 73%
AGE OF 18-21 110 55%
PARTICIPANT 22-25 90 45%
PROGRAM DPT 131 65.5%
BDS 69 34.5%
ACADEMIC 1ST YEAR 43 21.5%
YEAR 2ND YEAR 40 20.0%
3RD YEAR 35 17.5%
4TH YEAR 47 23.5%
5TH YEAR 35 17.5%

TOTAL 200 100%

 PREVALENCE OF PSS-10

Explains, the distribution of individuals

across various levels of stress. Notably,
the majority of individuals 157(78.5%)
exhibit moderate stress levels, whereas
high level stress affecting 22 individuals
(11%) and the low level stress is
affecting only 21 students (10.5%).
 PREVALENCE OF IPAQ

Show the International Physical Activity

Questionnaire (IPAQ) results indicate varying
levels of physical activity among the participants.
A significant portion, 104 individuals (52.0%),
reported moderate levels of physical activity,
suggesting that over half of the sample may not
be engaging in sufficient exercise to promote
health. In contrast, 72 individuals (36.0%) fell
into the low level activity category. Finally, only
24 individuals (12.0%) reported high levels of
physical activity, highlighting that a smaller
segment of the population is likely meeting or
exceeding recommended activity levels.
 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN IPAQ AND PSS

• Cross tabulation shows that 82 participants reported less than 600 MET minutes/week. 103
participants reported between 600 to 3000 MET minutes/week. 14 participants reported more
than 3000 MET minutes/week.
• Cross tabulation indicates the distribution of perceived stress levels among individuals with
different levels of physical activity. It can be used to examine trends such as whether higher
physical activity correlates with lower perceived stress levels.
 LESS THAN LESS THAN LESS THAN TOTAL
600 600 TO 3000 3000
MET- MET- MET-
MINUTES/ MINUTES/ MINUTES/
WEEK WEEK WEEK

TOTAL PSS LOW LEVEL 7 11 3 21

SCORE STRESS
(0-13

MODERATE 56 83 18 157
LEVEL
STRESS
(14-26)

HIGH LEVEL 9 10 3 22
OF STRESS
(27-40)

TOTAL 72 104 24 200

ASSOSIATION OF PSS AND IPAQ QUESTIONNAIRE.

Chi-square tests conducted did not reveal significant

associations between mental health statuses and
physical activity levels within this sample as the p-
value of Chi-Square test more than 0.05 shows no
significance and in our study the P-value of low and
moderate is 0.966 and the p-value of high is 0.680
which means there is no significant association reveal.
Suggesting that mental health and physical activity
may operate independently. However, the sample size
may limit the generalizability of these findings,
indicating a need for further research with larger, more
diverse populations to explore these relationships
comprehensively.
 DISCUSSION

• The study ‘Physical Activity Under Stress among individuals S Zhou, L Li et

al in 2021 aimed to understand the relationship between perceived stress and
physical activity from an outcome expectancies perspective and investigated
the moderating role of future orientation in this relationship. This study
recruited 425 students who completed a three-wave survey at six-week
intervals. In line with the findings of earlier research, this study discovered a
negative relationship between perceived stress and physical activity. One
interesting discovery is that the association between stress and physical
activity is mediated by outcome expectancies.
(Zhou S, Li L,2021)
• The study titled ‘The Effects of Stress on Physical Activity and Exercise’ by
MA Stults-Kolehmainen,et al in 2016 investigates that the majority of the
literature finds that the experience of stress impairs efforts to be physically
active
(Stults-Kolehmainen MA,2014)
 CONCLUSION

• This study demonstrates that despite the findings, chi-square tests revealed no
significant relationship between mental health status and physical activity
levels, indicating that these variables are independent in the examined
sample. These results reflect the varying degrees of mental health challenges
among students and highlight the necessity for targeted interventions to
promote physical activity and mental well-being.
 RECOMMENDATIONS

• To achieve more reliable and comprehensive findings, it is advisable to utilize

a larger sample size for this study. Universities should address this by
launching initiatives that encourage physical activity, such as fitness
programs, sports clubs, and wellness campaigns that showcase the mental
health advantages of exercise. Furthermore, integrating physical activity into
the academic curriculum and establishing supportive environments with
accessible facilities can motivate students to engage in more physical activity.
 REFRENCES

1. Mahmood, M., Afzal, M. T., Malik, A. R., Butt, A. U. A., Khan, M. S., Mahmood, M. H. W.
M., ... & Waseem, M. H. (2021). Association of stress coping strategies and leisure time
physical activity with academic performance in medical students. Journal of Rawalpindi
Medical College, 25(1).
2. Wike, H. K. (2015). Examining the relationship between physical activity
psychological well-being and stress in a college population.
3. Sohail, H. (2023). CORRELATION OF STRESS WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
AMONG STUDENTS OF DPT (Doctoral dissertation, Isra University).
4. Dalton, E. D. (2022). Exercise-related coping beliefs predict physical
activity levels in response to naturally occurring stress: A daily diary study
of college students. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 411-419.
5. Zhou, S., Li, L., Zhao, Y., Cao, Y., Peng, B., & Zheng, L. (2021). Physical activity under
stress: a perspective of HAPA and individual differences. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 18(22), 12144.
6. Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Sinha, R. (2014). The effects of stress on physical activity
and exercise. Sports medicine, 44, 81-121.
“THANK YOU”