Abstract

Abstract:Objective: To analyze the association between the behavioral profile of physical activityand sedentary time with subjective well-being and mental health in university students during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Chile. Methods: Cross-sectional study in a voluntary sample of469 universitystudents (22.4±0.19 years; 66% women). According to students’ self-reports of physical activity andsedentary time, four behavioral profiles were created to investigate their association with subjectivewell-being and mental health using one-factor ANOVA that was adjusted to a multifactorial model.Results: The physically inactive and sedentary behavior profile presents the lowest levels of subjectivewell-being (p< 0.001), positive affective experiences (p< 0.001) and general mental health (p= 0.001).When adjusting for confounding variables, it was observed that the physically active and non-sedentary profile was associated with better general mental health (p< 0.01) in contrast to thosewho are physically active and sedentary. Conclusions: Chilean university students with a physicallyinactive and sedentary profile during the pandemic presented worse well-being and mental health,with a sedentary lifestyle being one of the variables that most affects the mental health of thesestudents. Therefore, measures should be implemented to encourage this population to maintainadequate levels of physical activity and reduce sedentary times