Employment Status of Canadian University Students’ Association with Ability to Meet the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

Introduction: Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines indicate thresholds for individuals to engage in specific amounts of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), resistance training, sedentary time, screen time, and sleep time for overall health benefits. In university students, working a job may be required to offset the cost of attending university or as experience to help with career development. This may be a risk factor for students’ ability to meet activity guidelines. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that having a job impeded students’ ability to adhere to 24-hour movement guidelines. Methods: A nationwide sample of Canadian university students (n = 559, 420 females, 25.3±7.1 years, 343 undergraduates, 367 employed) completed an online survey. Results: Logistic regression models demonstrated that employment status was a negative predictor of adherence to MVPA guidelines (310 met MVPA guidelines, β=-0.41, p=0.04). In a covariate-adjusted model, students who reported having a job were 1.6 times less likely to meet MVPA guidelines (odds ratio = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.45-0.98, p=0.04). However, employment status was not an independent predictor of adherence to resistance training, sedentary time, screen time, or sleep time guidelines (all, p>0.29). Working a job may prevent students from engaging in regular aerobic exercise but is not associated with the frequency of resistance training or time spent sedentary, on screens, or sleeping. Conclusions: These findings underscore that lack of time due to competing demands as a student, including having a job, is a key barrier to MVPA. Health promoting strategies to integrate MVPA into a working student’s busy schedule must be explored.