Where, when, how, and with whom do young university students engage in physical activity? A cluster-derived spectrum of patterns across 16 European universities
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Young adults are particularly at risk of dropping out of physical activity (PA). European policies have addressed this issue by promoting PA and encouraging better monitoring of PA through standardized and specific measures of its quantity. The current paper used an ecological approach that considers interrelated determinants at the individual, social, environmental, and policy levels to survey 2,165 undergraduate students (65.3% female) aged 18-25 years from 16 universities via an online questionnaire as part of the "How Young People in Europe Move" (HYPEM) project. A cluster analysis of mixed data was performed to identify profiles of sport and PA participation among undergraduates from 12 European countries and to examine their associations with individual and contextual characteristics. The results showed that individual and contextual characteristics were associated with spatial, temporal, social, intensity-related, and equipment-related dimensions of PA participation. Additionally, space, time and equipment were key variables for profiling students. Furthermore, the cluster analysis revealed three typologies of student sports and PA participation: 'Autonomous', 'Networked Supervised', and 'Regularly Supervised'. These profiles suggest that undergraduate students engage in PA through various formats, ranging from flexible, self-organized practices to more structured, supervised forms of participation. Differences were also observed across participating institutions, indicating that contextual factors should be considered when interpreting these exploratory profiles. These profiles may help generate hypotheses about how university PA opportunities could be designed and evaluated in future prospective and intervention studies.
Source: PLoS ONE
Authors: Clément Llena, Louise Fermon, Søren Andkjær, Audran Aulanier, Félix Berrigan, Nico Bortoletto, Mário Jorge Costa, Yvonne Delevoye-Turrell, Thibaut Derigny, Olivier Dieu, Murielle Garcin, Joseph Gandrieau, Ricardo Jorge Fernandes, Libor Flemr, Christopher Fullerton, Hee Jung Hong, Aurore Huchez, Isabelle Joing, Vanessa Lentillon-Kaestner, Alexis Mauger, Barbara Mazza, Léa Mekkaoui, Enrico Michelini, Annette Michelsen la Cour, Alexandre Mouton, Przemysław Nosal, Pedro R. Olivares, Bjørn Harald Olstad, Marek Rejman, Susana Soares, João Paulo Vilas-Boas, Tobias Vogt, Alessandro Porrovecchio, François Potdevin
Institutions: Université de Lille, Unité de Recherche Pluridisciplinaire Sport, Santé, Société, Université d'Artois, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Southern Denmark, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Transitions Energétiques et Environnementales, University of Teramo, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Mouvement, Equilibre, Performance, Santé, Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratoire Motricité Humaine Éducation Sport Santé, College of Physical Education and Sport Palestra, University of Stirling, Haute École Pédagogique du Canton de Vaud, University of Kent, Sapienza University of Rome, Osnabrück University, University of Liège, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Universidad de Huelva, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, German Sport University Cologne
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Funder: Université de Lille
OpenAlex ID: W7221396679