Strategies and measurement tools in physical activity promotion interventions in the university setting: A systematic review

Abstract

The university environment is especially suitable for implementing health promotion interventions and specifically for physical activity promotion among university students. The objective of this systematic review was to describe the strategies employed and the physical activity data collection tools that have been used in said interventions. A systematic search for articles was conducted using the PubMED, Cochrane, and PEDro databases. The articles selected were those describing a physical activity promotion intervention aimed at university students in their own university setting in which there was a control group. Eventually, 1074 articles were identified, of which 13 fulfilled the selection criteria. The results show eight strategies and nine different instruments for collecting physical activity data. The strategies identified were used in combination and they were adapted in each of the complex interventions. Validated questionnaires were the most widely used instrument. Future original studies are needed to find out the impact of these strategies in physical activity promotion among university students specifically in the university context.