Abstract

The growing prevalence of sedentary behavior among university students raises concerns about its impact on functional capacity, sleep quality, and the ability to cope with academic pressure. This study aimed to assess exercise capacity, sleep quality, and academic stress levels in young sedentary individuals and to examine the associations among these parameters. In this cross-sectional study, 35 sedentary students from the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University were included. Physical activity levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and exercise capacity was evaluated with the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Sleep quality and academic stress were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Educational Stress Scale (ESS), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine associations among variables. Participants had a mean age of 21.34±1.25 years and a mean BMI of 22.10±3.17 kg/m². Based on IPAQ-SF scores, 34.28% were physically inactive, while 65.72% were minimally active. The mean 6MWT distance was 491.62±53.65 meters. The average PSQI and ESS scores were 19.80±6.66 and 50.77±10.97, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between physical activity level and 6MWT distance (r=0.464; p=0.005). Although no statistically significant associations were found between exercise capacity, sleep quality, and academic stress, a significant positive correlation was observed between physical activity level and functional capacity. These findings suggest that while physical activity may enhance functional performance in sedentary young adults, its short-term effects on sleep and academic stress remain inconclusive.

Key words: Health behavior, lifestyle, physical fitness, sedentary behavior