RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PHYSICAL FITNESS AND HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS

Background Physical fitness is a key determinant of health and good physical well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and health-related behaviors among students. Material and methods A total of 176 individuals aged 20 to 28 participated in the study, 67 studied Physical Education (PE), 109 studied Physiotherapy (PT). The eight tasks of the International Physical Fitness Test (IPFT) battery were used to assess physical fitness. The research tools were Juczynski’s Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) and a self-developed questionnaire. Results PE students, both male (450.4 vs. 381.6, p<0.001) and female (480.8 vs. 385.8, p<0.001), achieved higher scores in IPFT tests compared to PT students. PE students demonstrated higher levels of health behavior (overall score) than their peers studying PT (male 80.1 vs. 71.7, p=0.009, and female 85 vs. 76.3, p=0.006). Positive correlations were observed between physical fitness levels and all four health behavior categories and overall result measured by the HBI (r=0.397, p<0.001). Conclusions There are notable differences in health behaviors between PE and PT students. This may be linked to the higher proportion of active athletes among PE students. Participation in sports encourages healthy eating habits and caring for mental well-being.