Antropometria, capacidade funcional, pressão arterial e nível de atividade física em universitários do interior paulista

The practice of physical exercise tends to be reduced in adulthood, especially among university students, due to the high demands of daily tasks. The present study aimed to describe the anthropometric characteristics, functional capacity, blood pressure, in addition to the level of fitness and physical activity in 73 university students of both genders regularly enrolled in Physical Education (PE), Pedagogy (PDG) and Administration courses (ADM), at a college in the interior of Sao Paulo. Functional capacity tests were used to measure flexibility and strength values, and the IPAQ (short version) was used to obtain the level of physical activity. Height was greater in the PE group (171.02±6.54) compared to the ADM group (161.86±6.54) with a significance level of p=0.04. BMI was lower in the EF group (24.65±2.76) compared to the ADM group (100.8±11.84; p=0.03). The IPAQ indicated a significant difference between the EF group in relation to PDG and ADM on the percentage of very active individuals (p=0.022 and p=0.31, respectively) and ADM showed individuals classified as low level of physical activity compared to the EF group (p=0.04). It is concluded that the level of physical activity, as well as the functional abilities presented significant differences among higher education students.