Physical Fitness and Psychological Stress Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Sedentary study routines and academic pressure may reduce physical fitness and increase psychological stress in university students. Physiotherapy-based exercise is a proposed non-pharmacological approach, but the current fitness and stress profile of students, and how the two relate, is not well described. Objective: To describe physical fitness (BMI, flexibility, muscular endurance) and psychological stress in students aged 17-25 years, to compare stress across domains and by sex, and to examine fitness-stress associations. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, fitness data from 52 Bachelor of Physiotherapy students (41 females, 11 males) and responses to the 40-item Student Stress Inventory (SSI) from 51 students were analysed. Stress domains were compared by repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-adjusted paired t-tests; sex differences were tested with Welch's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test; associations were tested with Pearson and Spearman correlations, with Holm adjustment (p 2; 42.3% of students were outside the normal BMI range (19.2% underweight, 23.1% overweight or obese). Mean total stress was 85.2 ± 19.6 out of 160 (Cronbach's α = 0.91). Domain scores differed (F(3,150) = 15.51, p 2 = 0.24): environmental stress was highest and remained significantly higher than every other domain after Bonferroni correction. Stress did not differ by sex (all p ? 0.29). Males had higher weight (63.96 ± 12.20 vs 55.41 ± 10.62 kg; Mann-Whitney p = 0.027) and BMI (25.43 ± 5.50 vs 22.00 ± 4.17 kg/m2; p = 0.043), although Welch's t-test was borderline (p = 0.052 and 0.076). Flexibility correlated with environmental stress (r = 0.31, p = 0.028), which was not confirmed by Spearman correlation (p = 0.092) or after Holm adjustment (p = 0.42). Conclusion: Students showed moderate stress, mainly environmental, and a substantial proportion had abnormal BMI, with no robust fitness-stress associations. These findings support screening students for weight status and stress and provide reference data for future studies, including intervention trials of physiotherapy.
Keywords: physiotherapy; physical fitness; psychological stress; university students; flexibility; muscular endurance; BMI
How to Cite?: P. Reddy Haritha, Dr. K. Madhavi, "Physical Fitness and Psychological Stress Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 408-413, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261003155510, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261003155510