Social determinants of health of the relationship between physical activity and stress in university students

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies highlight physical activity as an easily accessible and cost-effective strategy for reducing stress in university students. However, this approach has been conducted from an individualistic perspective, without considering other social determinants of health. Objective: The present study aimed to describe the social determinants of health that influence the relationship between physical activity and stress in university students. Methodology: Secondary data from a Health and Well-being Survey conducted in a private university in Colombia, were analyzed. The sample consisted of 2786 undergraduate students. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed. The independent variables corresponded to social determinants of health at the individual and structural level, as well as from the educational context and housing conditions. Results: This model identified 9 determinants that differentially influence the 6 groups that resulted from the relationships between 3 levels of physical activity (low, moderate and high) and 2 levels of stress (low and high) analyzed in this study. Specifically, academic stressors, some means of transportation to and from the university, and the socioeconomic level of the participants stand out in this analysis. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings questioned the idea that physical activity and stress present an inversely proportional relationship, and that the former contributes to the reduction of the latter. On the contrary, the results suggest that the relationship between these two variables in university students is complex and seems to be mediated by multiple social determinants that interact dynamically.