Associations between physical activity levels and quality of life dimensions among Saudi female university students: a cross-sectional analysis using WHOQOL-BREF and IPAQ-SF
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15561/20755279.2025.0304Keywords:
university health promotion, psychological well-being, physical inactivity, student lifestyle, QoL assessment, female undergraduatesAbstract
Background and Study Aim. Physical activity is a key determinant of health and well-being, particularly among young adults. University students often face lifestyle changes that can affect their overall quality of life (QoL). The present study aimed to explore the relationship between physical activity levels and QoL among Saudi female university students. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional design was implemented, involving 483 female undergraduates aged 18–24 years at Umm Al-Qura University. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was employed to evaluate participants’ physical activity levels, while QoL was measured using the WHOQOL-BREF scale. Participants were classified into three physical activity categories: inactive, minimally active, and health-enhancing physically active (HEPA). QoL scores were categorized into poor, moderate, and good/high. Data were analyzed using variance analysis, chi-square analysis, and Friedman tests to assess group differences and the strength of associations. Results Significant differences were observed in weekly metabolic equivalents across physical activity levels (p < .001). Significant variations also emerged across QoL domains. The environmental and psychological dimensions received the highest ratings. Physical activity and QoL classifications were strongly associated (χ²(4, N = 483) = 451.244, p < .001), supported by large effect sizes (Cramer’s V = .683). Among inactive students, 47.6% reported poor QoL, and none achieved high QoL. In contrast, 99.4% of those in the HEPA group reported good or high QoL. Conclusions. Higher physical activity levels were strongly associated with better QoL. These findings highlight the importance of tailored physical activity initiatives in university settings to promote student well-being.References
Herbert C, Meixner F, Wiebking C, Gilg V. Regular Physical Activity, Short-Term Exercise, Mental Health, and Well-Being Among University Students: The Results of an Online and a Laboratory Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 2020;11: 509. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00509
Rodríguez-Romo G, Acebes-Sánchez J, García-Merino S, Garrido-Muñoz M, Blanco-García C, Diez-Vega I. Physical Activity and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022;20(1): 195. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010195
Gosadi IM. Protective Effect of Exercise Against Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among University Students Based on Their Level of Academic Performance. Medicina, 2024;60(10): 1706. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina60101706
Alharbi BFH, Baker P, Pavey T, Alharbi MF. Investigating the beliefs of Saudi females regarding physical activity: a qualitative exploration. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2024;19(1): 2296696. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2023.2296696
Al-Hazzaa HM. Physical Activity Research in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Progress Made but Work Still to Do. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2022;19(11): 769–770. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2022-0484
Al-Hazzaa HM, AlMarzooqi MA. Descriptive Analysis of Physical Activity Initiatives for Health Promotion in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health, 2018;6: 329. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00329
Alghamdi AKH, Aldossari A. Healthy lifestyle, physical education, and sports for Saudi women. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 2024;29(5): 505–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2022.2123465
Alahmadi MA, Almasoud KH, Aljahani AH, Alzaman NS, Al-Nozha OM, Alahmadi OM, et al. The prevalence of sedentary behavior among university students in Saudi Arabia. BMC Public Health, 2024;24(1): 605. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18107-7
Sollis K, Yap M, Campbell P, Biddle N. Conceptualisations of wellbeing and quality of life: A systematic review of participatory studies. World Development, 2022;160: 106073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106073
The Whoqol Group. The World Health Organization quality of life assessment (WHOQOL): Development and general psychometric properties. Social Science & Medicine, 1998;46(12): 1569–1585. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00009-4
Sui W, Sui A, Prapavessis H. Relationships between indices of sedentary behavior and hedonic well-being: A scoping review. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2021;54: 101920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101920
Rodriguez-Ayllon M, Cadenas-Sánchez C, Estévez-López F, Muñoz NE, Mora-Gonzalez J, Migueles JH, et al. Role of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in the Mental Health of Preschoolers, Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, 2019;49(9): 1383–1410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01099-5
Omarov B, Yermakhanov B, Ayapbergenova A, Amanov A, Turayeva A, Daniyarov T. Examen de la actividad física y los niveles de calidad de vida de los estudiantes universitarios basado en el análisis de los indicadores WHOQOL-BREF [Examination of physical activity and quality of life levels of university students based on the analysis of WHOQOL-BREF indicators]. Retos, 2024;61: 823–831. (In Spanish). https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v61.109065
Sjöström M, Ainsworth BE, Bauman A, Bull FC, Hamilton-Craig CR, Sallis JF. Guidelines for data processing and analysis of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)—Short and long forms. IPAQ Research Committee; 2005
Craig CL, Marshall AL, Sjöström M, Bauman AE, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE, et al. International Physical Activity Questionnaire: 12-Country Reliability and Validity: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2003;35(8): 1381–1395. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB
Skevington SM, Lotfy M, O’Connell KA. The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A Report from the WHOQOL Group. Quality of Life Research, 2004;13(2): 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QURE.0000018486.91360.00
Kalra S, Jiwan T, Singh G, Gautam PL, Bansal A, Bansal N. Health-related quality of life and the associated predictors among people with epilepsy: WHOQOL-BREF scale. Int J Health Sci Res. 2022;12(10):191–9. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20221025
Bani-Issa W. Evaluation of the health-related quality of life of Emirati people with diabetes: integration of sociodemographic and disease-related variables. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2011;17(11): 825–830. https://doi.org/10.26719/2011.17.11.825
Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988.
Kinnear PR, Gray CD. SPSS 16 made simple. 1. publ. Hove: Psychology Press; 2009.
Alsubhi A, Turkistani AM. Dietary Habits, Body Composition and Life Satisfaction Among Saudi University Female Students by Physical Activity. Archives of Pharmacy Practice, 2024;15(3): 28–36. https://doi.org/10.51847/TFhQCTNtzj
Saleem S, Alahmari R, Alahmari M. Dietary habits among female medical student in King Khalid University, Abha City, 2014. International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 2016;5(6): 1268. https://doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2016.08042016437
Alzamil H, Alhakbany M, Alfadda N, Almusallam S, Al-Hazzaa H. A profile of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, sleep, and dietary habits of Saudi college female students. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, 2019;26(1): 1. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_58_18
WHO. Global Status Report on Physical Activity [Internet]. 2022 [updated 2024 Jun; cited 2024 Sep 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/global-status-report-on-physical-activity-2022
Warburton DER, Bredin SSD. Health benefits of physical activity: a systematic review of current systematic reviews. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 2017;32(5): 541–556. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCO.0000000000000437
Keating XD, Guan J, Piñero JC, Bridges DM. A Meta-Analysis of College Students’ Physical Activity Behaviors. Journal of American College Health, 2005;54(2): 116–126. https://doi.org/10.3200/JACH.54.2.116-126
Malibary H, Zagzoog MM, Banjari MA, Bamashmous RO, Omer AR. Quality of Life (QoL) among medical students in Saudi Arabia: a study using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument. BMC Medical Education, 2019;19(1): 344. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1775-8
Saudi Vision 2030. A vibrant society [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 May 20]. Available from: https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/en/overview/pillars/a-vibrant-society
Garn AC, Simonton KL. Prolonged Sitting in University Students: An Intra-Individual Study Exploring Physical Activity Value as a Deterrent. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023;20(3): 1891. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031891
Ali Taha A, Aa El-shereef E, Ismail Mohammed Abdullah T, Ismail Mohammed Abdullah R, Abdullah Mutheeb Aldahasi W. Social Anxiety Disorder and Its Correlates among Female Students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 2017;5(2): 50–56. https://doi.org/10.12691/rpbs-5-2-3
Gillison FB, Skevington SM, Sato A, Standage M, Evangelidou S. The effects of exercise interventions on quality of life in clinical and healthy populations; a meta-analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 2009;68(9): 1700–1710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.02.028
Rhodes RE, Janssen I, Bredin SSD, Warburton DER, Bauman A. Physical activity: Health impact, prevalence, correlates and interventions. Psychology & Health, 2017;32(8): 942–975. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2017.1325486
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Faisal A. Barwais
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright Holder - Author(s). more
Abstract views: 1129 / PDF downloads: 723
