Chinese university students' preferences for physical activity incentive programs: a discrete choice experiment

Purpose

This study aims to explore and compare Chinese university students' preferences for various physical activity motivation programs.

Patients and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in China from February 25 to March 25, 2022. Participants anonymously completed an online questionnaire based on a DCE. A total of 1,358 university students participated in the survey. The conditional logit model (CLM), willingness to accept (WTA), and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to assess college students' preferences for different attributes and levels of physical activity incentive programs.

Results

Respondents identified the number of bonus, exercise time, and academic rewards as the three most significant attributes of the athletic incentive program. The importance of each attribute varied based on individual characteristics such as gender and BMI. In CLM, college students displayed a preference for a "¥4" bonus amount (OR: 2.04, 95% CI 1.95-2.13), "20 min" of exercise time (OR: 1.85, 95% CI 1.79-1.92), and "bonus points for comprehensive test scores" as academic rewards (OR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.28-1.37). According to the WTA results, college students were willing to accept the highest cost to obtain academic rewards tied to composite test scores.

Conclusion

The number of bonus, exercise time, and academic rewards emerge as the three most crucial attributes of physical activity incentive programs. Furthermore, college students with different characteristics exhibit heterogeneity in their preferences for such programs. These findings can guide the development of programs and policies aimed at motivating college students to engage in physical activities.

A descriptive study on dietary pattern and biophysical profile among Saudi female dental students

Objective The current study aims to find out the dietary pattern among undergraduate dental students and evaluate its impact on their biophysical profile and academic achievement. Methods A convenient sample of 150 Saudi female dental students was selected as study participants, and a close-ended questionnaire divided into two parts was distributed among them.The questionnaire included questions on their eating habits, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and blood pressure. The collected data was statistically analyzed using SPSS version 19, and the chi-square test, correlation analysis, and descriptive statistics were performed. Results It was observed that a majority (40%) of the study participants replaces their meals with snacks, and 26% did not take regular meals.The results reveal a significant association between blood pressure, BMI, and WHR among University female students. No significant association has been found between grade-point-average (GPA) and dietary pattern. Conclusions The study concluded that the majority of university female students consumed unhealthy diets such as snacks. Fruit intake was lower than the recommended amount by World Health Organisation (WHO). Conducting appropriate nutrition related-public health programs would be beneficial in raising awareness regarding different aspects of dietary habits.