Abstract

Objective: To determine the level of physical activity and evaluate academic motivation of medical students and whether there is an association of academic motivation with physical activity.
Methodology: This cross-sectional survey included 354 health science students of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan from September 2019 to February 2020. Students with a GPA of 2.5 and above and smartphones users were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were participants who were unlikely to complete follow-up for the record collection on their respected apps and did not have access of application (pedometer). Physical activity was monitored through a smartphone application named ‘Pacer’ pedometer. Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire evaluated academic motivation in students that is a self- reported questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.
Results: Out of 354 participants, 275 (77.7%) were females and 79 (22.3%) males. Mean age was 21.02±1.6 years. We found that 240(67.08%) students were highly motivated. Pacer smartphone application showed a sedentary level of physical activity among students. Significant association was found between academic motivation and physical activity (p

Key words: Medical students, motivation, Pakistan, pedometer, smartphone, university.