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Physical activity and health education: its relationship with non-communicable diseases in university students

Abstract:

Introduction: Health education and promotion, together with specialized physical stimulation policies, contribute to increasing the quality of life levels of the population, including the university population. Assessing institutional management can help to outline concrete actions that improve health decision-making. Objective: To analyze the behavior of non-communicable diseases in two higher education institutions in Ecuador and their relationship with their health promotion policies. Methods: Descriptive, explanatory research of correlational order, in the population of university students of Medicine, Graphic Design, Agroindustrial Engineering, Business Administration, Telecommunications and Industrial Engineering, from Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo and the National University of Chimborazo. The percentages of 10 non-communicable diseases (overweight, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, musculoskeletal pain, motor pain, anxiety, depression, stress, self-esteem and negative mood) are compared, depending on their education and health promotion policies. Results: No significant differences are evident between independent groups (p=0.247), but the average ranges favor the Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo (8.90) over the National University of Chimborazo (12.10), having a lower percentage of non-communicable diseases. Conclusions: The Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo has in practice better educational and health promotion policies, including specialized physical activity implemented in a more systematic way than the National University of Chimborazo. It is prospectively recommended a comparison by gender and the incorporation of more non-communicable diseases to be studied, which makes it possible to determine the existence or not of significant differences, to establish causality and possible actions for improvement.