INTRODUCTION: Sedentariness, smoking, alcohol abuse and unbalanced feeding are harmful for health, leading to chronic diseases and
increasing mortality rate. For young adults, University is a new social and cultural context: parents’ imprinting could be easily altered, new
lifestyles take shape and personal choices emerge. Intervention programmes to advance awareness on harmful lifestyle and promote
healthy habits are essential. The #studioxlavita project, launched in 2016 by the University of Brescia with these purposes, investigated
students’ lifestyle, with special emphasis on physical activity .
METHODS: We developed two consecutive facultative surveys, of 15 <1st level> and 52 items <2nd level>, addressed to all the University’s
students. Questions were about leisure time physical activity , use of fitness technology, relationship with friends, classmates and parents,
feed, physical appearance, body self-perception, physical and mental health, use of certain substances or products , night-time rest and
beliefs concerning healthy behaviours. In the 2nd level survey we also adopted the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and the short
form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to estimate the amount of PA carried out in the last 7 days. Students who filled in
both questionnaires received a personal report including the aggregate data analysis, a comparison with other investigations and indications
about healthy habits, according to recommendations and guidelines.
RESULTS: 3,436 out of 15,688 students filled in the1st level survey. Of them, 778 accepted to participate in the 2nd level survey, and 456
completed it. 1st level survey revealed that 72% of the students practised LTPA <45% regularly and 27% occasionally>. LTPA is largely
performed <44% of the student> in non-competitive form, with recreational and/or health purposes. According to IPAQ-SF categorical
score, 24%, 34% and 42% of the students performed low, moderate and high levels of PA, respectively. In 2st level survey, 76% of the
students wished to practise more PA; 42% would participate in practical sport courses.
CONCLUSION: University is an ideal setting for promoting lifestyle change among a captive audience. Intervention programs to increment
PA are acclaimed by students. The students from University of Brescia reported higher LTPA practice than the national average people
between 18 and 34 years <47%, data from Italian National Institute of Statistics, 2015>, although this parameter was assessed with
different methods
