Times in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Associated with Awareness and Knowledge of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Objective: In this study, we examined the associations between awareness and knowledge of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and device-based measures of physical activity (PA). Methods: Overall, 222 college students participated in the current study. Based on their awareness and knowledge of the 2008 Guidelines, the participants were categorized into 3 groups: don't know, awareness only, and knowledge. We used 2 questions for identifying awareness and knowledge of government PA guidelines. Accelerometers were employed to evaluate times spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). Comparison among the 3 groups was conducted for total time spent in MVPA using one-way Welch ANOVA. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the average time of MVPA by the knowledge of the 2008 Guidelines (p = .035). The knowledge group had a greater average time of MVPA compared to the other 2 groups; we found no statistically significant difference in MVPA between the awareness only and don't know groups. Conclusion: Knowledge of the 2008 Guidelines was positively associated with PA levels among college students. More effective dissemination of PA guidelines would appear to be warranted in promoting PA.