Place of physical activity in the leisure behaviour of students from Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to find out about physical activity of students from Poland and Ukraine, and its determining factors, as well as the amount of their free time. The study was conducted in March 2020 with 100 students from two universities surveyed (50 persons from each). They were students of Tourism and Recreation at the Jan Długosz University of Humanities and Sciences in Częstochowa and 50 students with major in Tourism at the Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University in Lutsk. The students surveyed were both undergraduate and graduate. No relationship was found between the distribution of gender and nationality (p = 0.799). There is also no relationship between the distribution of the amount of free time and nationality: on school days (p=0.062) and at weekends (p=0.294). The relationship of the distribution of practising physical activity in free time and a nationality (p = 0.029) was found. What is significant is also the impact of nationality on the distribution of responses (p=0.013) as for the analysis of who accompanies students during physical activity in their free time. In turn, there is no relationship between the distribution of students' motivation to practise physical activity in free time and nationality (p=0.175). Physical activity in free time is practised by 92.00% of students from Poland and 76.00% of students from Ukraine. The leading role in the promotion of physical activity in free time among Polish (46.00%) and Ukrainian (64.00%) students is played by teachers. The most popular form of physical activity is walking (Poles 52.00%, Ukrainians 70.00%).