Physical activity, health-related quality of life and musculoskeletal pain among students of physiotherapy and social sciences in Eastern Croatia – Cross-sectional survey

Introduction and objective Low levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary lifestyle have become a major public health problem in developed countries, even among the young population. The aim of the study was to determine and compare physical activity levels, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms (MPS) among the students of Physiotherapy and Social Sciences. Material and methods A cross-sectional survey was performed on 517 participants and included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form, SF-36 Health Survey, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results The majority of students (61.7%) met the criteria for the category “high” PA, and 11% respondents were in the “low” category. Male students accumulated higher levels of vigorous- and moderate-intensity PA, and scored higher in the domains of general health, vitality, and social functioning, while females scored higher in mental health (p<0.05). The physical component summary score was higher for Physiotherapy students, while Social Sciences students scored higher in the mental component summary score (p<0.05). The prevalence of MPS in the last year was 80.9%, more among female and Physiotherapy students (p<0.05). A weak association was found between MPS and lower levels of total PA, moderate-intensity PA and several domains of HRQoL (p