ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY READINESS IN EASTERN SLOVAKIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background University students faced unique challenges due to campus closures and online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially affecting their physical and mental health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess physical activity (PA) readiness among university students during these disruptions. Material and methods During the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years, 1,135 students from the University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik in Košice (UPJŠ) and Technical University in Košice (TUKE) completed the PAR-Q online. The PAR-Q included ten health questions and two about pre-COVID-19 PA and the impact of the pandemic. Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used in R Studio to examine health issues and participant characteristics like gender and university affiliation. Logistic regression assessed pandemic-related PA changes. Results UPJŠ and TUKE students had significantly different health outcomes, including gender-specific variations. Female students at both universities reported higher dizziness rates (22.0% at UPJŠ and 23.2% at TUKE, <i>p</i><0.001) than male students. Females reported more chest pain at TUKE (21.2%) compared to UPJŠ (12.9%, <i>p</i><0.001). UPJŠ students were 4.33 times more likely than TUKE students to maintain or increase PA during the pandemic (<i>p</i>=0.005). Other health conditions did not predict pandemic PA. Conclusions The findings demonstrate that mostly university affiliation, out of all other variables, significantly influenced health outcomes and PA during the COVID-19 pandemic.