The Relationship of Self-Reported Physical Activity Level and Self-Efficacy in Physiotherapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Lāsma Spundiņa (), Una Veseta and Agita Ābele
Additional contact information
Lāsma Spundiņa: Department of Health Psychology and Pedagogy, Riga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Rīga, Latvia
Una Veseta: Department of Health Psychology and Pedagogy, Riga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Rīga, Latvia
Agita Ābele: Department of Sport and Training Theory, Pedagogy, Psychology and Pedagogical Internship, RSU Latvian Academy of Sports Education, LV-1007 Rīga, Latvia

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Physical activity plays a critical role in health and well-being, particularly during students’ academic development. This study explores the relationship between self-efficacy and physical activity among physiotherapy students, recognizing self-efficacy as a key factor influencing exercise behavior. Despite awareness of physical activity’s benefits, academic demands may hinder participation, reducing confidence in maintaining an active lifestyle. A total of 244 physiotherapy students (mean age 24.44 ± 7.56 years) completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF). The results showed that the self-efficacy scores ranged from 17 to 40, with a mean of 30.44 (±3.93), indicating moderate to high levels. In terms of activity, 40.3% of students reported sufficient activity (high level), 51.7% reported moderate activity (meeting minimum guidelines), and 8.05% reported insufficient (low) activity. Self-efficacy positively correlated with age (r = 0.199, p < 0.01) and education level (r = 0.191, p < 0.01), and negatively with employment (r = –0.171, p < 0.05). Physical activity was significantly associated with self-efficacy (r = 0.217, p < 0.01). These findings underscore the importance of fostering self-efficacy to promote physical activity, highlighting the need for targeted strategies within academic settings to support student well-being and healthier lifestyle choices.

Keywords: self-efficacy; physical activity; physiotherapy students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/7/1029/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/7/1029/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:7:p:1029-:d:1689501

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().