Gender and physical exercise in adolescents and college students

Abstract

Our goal was to investigate gender and age differences regarding physical exercise in a sample of adolescents and higher education students in the Province of Toledo. A questionnaire was administered to 442 students, and discussion groups were held with 75 participants. Males were found to exercise more and to dedicate more time to physical exercises, regardless of age. Results for the focus groups indicate that the goals of and motivation for exercising can vary according to gender; we also found stereotypes and the traditional gender association with different sports, although practice is shared in the case of some sports.