Anthropometric variables, physiological parameters and physical activity levels of undergraduate students from the University of Fort Hare, South Africa

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anthropometric variables, physiological parameters and physical activity levels of undergraduate students. 132 undergraduate students aged 18 – 25 years from the University of Fort Hare who signed the consent forms participated in this cross-sectional study. Anthropometric variables were assessed using the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) standard procedures. Physical activity (PA) levels were evaluated using the international physical activity questionnaire – long form (IPAQ-LF). Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a digital BP monitor (Omran Corporation, model no-IA2 HEM 7001-c-1). 8 %, 59.8 %, 28.0 % and 11.4 % are underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese, respectively. The skinfolds, percentage body fat and body mass index (BMI) of female participants were significantly (p < .001) higher than the male participants with a large effect sizes (d ≤ -2.3). Likewise, the waist-to hip ratio was significantly (p < .001) higher in male participants with a large effect size (d = 1.2). The result also showed that 59.8 % participants had normal BP, 13.6 % had high systolic blood pressure (SBP), 6.8 % had high diastolic blood pressure (DBP), 7.6 % had prehypertension and 12.1 % had hypertension, respectively. Male participants had higher SBP while female participants had higher DBP which had no significant (p > 0.001) effect and with low effect sizes (d= 0.1). Again, 72.1 % of participants do not engage in sufficient PA of 300 mins per week which is reflective of less physical activities as compared to the recommended standard (of 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic PA per week) by the world health organization (WHO). We recommend an urgent intervention programs that will help improve the PA levels, reduce unhealthy BMI and BP levels of university students.