[Factors associated with the degree of participation in physical activities among students of a public university in the south of Brazil].

The scope of this study was to analyze the factors associated with the degree of participation in physical activities (DPPA) among students of a public university in the south of Brazil. The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Questionnaire was used for the evaluation of DPPA. DPPA was classified as adequate and inadequate. Nutritional status was evaluated based on BMI, classified as normal (< 25 kg/m²) and overweight (> 25 kg/m²). The following socio-demographic variables were analyzed: gender, age group, work, maternal educational level, class period, and marital status. Poisson regression was used to examine the association between DPPA and independent variables, considering p < 0.05. The sample, which was representative of the institution, consisted of 738 students (59.2% males). The prevalence of inadequate physical activity participation was 30.8%. Adjusted analysis showed that female (PR=2.79; 95%CI: 2.10-3.68) and overweight students (PR=1.53; 95%CI: 1.04-2.23) presented a higher risk of inadequate physical activity participation. These findings might be useful for the implementation of health promotion programs in universities, which should pay special attention to female and overweight students in their freshman year.