Estimation of Physical Activity Level (PAL) and its Classification Among Undergraduate General Degree College Students Based on Their Energy Expenditure and Gender

According to World Health Organization guideline (WHO) Physical Activity (PA) is the bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles, requiring energy expenditure. Now-a-days estimation of Physical Activity Level (PAL) is important for understanding different health outcomes and formulating Public Health guidelines. This study aimed to estimate PAL of Undergraduate General Degree College Students and its categorization in terms of energy expenditure and gender. A total of 464 Adult College Students (Male: 239 and Female: 225) were randomly selected for the study and their PAL was estimated using the guideline of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Short form and then categorized into three PAL groups: Low, Moderate, and High based on their energy expenditure and gender. Stratified random sampling method was followed. The criteria for participation included subjects to be willing to join the study, with both male and female healthy adults aged 18–23 years, enrolled in an undergraduate general degree course. The distribution showed that 6.25% of the students had low PAL, 17.89% had moderate PAL, and 75.86% had high PAL. When compared by gender, a significantly higher proportion of males (82.43%) were in the high PAL category compared to females (68.89%), with males showing significantly higher mean PAL values overall (p < 0.05). In terms of MET values, males also represented higher overall MET values (7006.93 ± 4634.26) compared to females (5327.40 ± 4065.03), with a highly significant difference (p < 0.05). Notably, significant differences were also found in the Moderate category (p < 0.05) and in vigorous physical activities (p < 0.05), where males consistently outperformed females. The Hartley test indicated a significant variance between the genders (p < 0.05). These findings highlight significant gender differences in PAL, particularly in more intense physical activities, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to address these disparities.