Level of physical activity, energy expenditure and body mass index in teachers of a faculty of health

Abstract

Introduction: Physical activity in university teachers constitutes a reason for study since it is a population with a range of great responsibility and prone to physical inactivity. Objective: To assess the level of physical activity and body mass index of 50 professors from the Faculty of Health at a public university, based on age, gender, marital status, weight, and height. Materials and Methods: The research approach is quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental and cross-sectional. The study subjects are 50 professors from the health department of a public university. To classify the level of physical activity, the short format of the Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was applied. Results: It was evidenced that 74% of teachers are female, most of them are over 40 years old and 50% are married. Teachers' perception of their level of physical activity is as follows: low (-600 Mets, 48%), moderate level (-1,500 Mets, 38%), and high level (+ 1,500 Mets, 14 %), sitting time on a business day is 5 to 10 hours per day. The BMI of 54% of teachers has values corresponding to overweight, the majority belong to the nursing career, 46% present normal values. Conclusion: It is concluded that the perception of the level of physical activity of university teachers is low and moderate, they do not meet the minimum requirements indicated by the WHO, they present a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight.