Body composition, physical fitness, physical activity and nutrition in Polish and Spanish female students of sports sciences

Summary Objectives It is important to study differences in body composition, physical fitness and lifestyle behaviours between university students from different countries to develop country-specific recommendations on health promotion to provide to students when transitioning to university. The objective of this study was to analyze the differences in body composition, physical fitness and lifestyle between Polish and Spanish students of physical activity and sports sciences. Equipment and methods Two hundred and thirty female students participated. One hundred and eighty-eight females were from Poland and 42 females from Spain. Polish females were 21.2 ± 1.9 yr old and Spanish females 21.1 ± 2.2. The body composition variables measured were: body weight (kg), fat-free mass (FFM, kg and %), fat mass (FM, kg and %), total body water (TBW, kg and %), and basal metabolic rate (BMR, kcal), body mass index (BMI, kg/m 2 ), fat-free mass index (FFMI, kg/m 2 ), fat mass index (FMI, kg/m 2 ). The physical fitness variables measured were: squat jump (SJ, height in cm, power in watts and w/kg), counter movement jump (CMJ, height in cm, power in watts and w/kg), running speed 10, 20, 30 m (time in s), progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER, stage, final speed in km/h, distance in m, VO 2 max in ml/kg/min). Lifestyle variables measured were: vigorous physical activity (VPA, days/week, min/week), moderate physical activity (MPA, days/week, min/week), walking (days/week, min/week), sitting (min/week), meals/day, vegetables/day, fruits/day, seafood/week, dairy products/week, sweets, chips, fast food/week, litres of liquid/day, litres of sugary drinks/day, alcohol/week, and cigarettes/day. Results Polish females had more favourable profiles than Spanish females for body composition and physical fitness, and consumed more vegetables, more fruits and more liquids. Spanish females did more physical activity, consumed more seafood, more dairy products, less sweets, chips, fast food, less sugary drinks, less alcohol and less tobacco than Polish females. Conclusions Curricula should be adapted, in Poland to promote a healthier lifestyle and in Spain to improve body composition and physical fitness.