Physical Activity of Male and Female University Students as a Manifestation of Sustainable Development

In addition to economic and environmental aspects, the concept of sustainable development also encompasses social systems. Various authors have highlighted the links between sustainable development policy and human health. The results of those studies indicate that an effective component of public health programs should be regular leisure-time physical activity of individuals. An important manifestation of societal sustainability is gender equality, including equal access to physical activity. The aim of this study is to assess the gender diversity of physical activity of university students from Wrocław. The study was conducted in 2014 and 2015 in Wrocław, Poland. The study sample consisted of 637 respondents (441 women, 196 men) aged 18–34 years. The main research method was a diagnostic survey using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF). The obtained data were ordered and subjected to statistical analysis. Basic descriptive statistics of analyzed variables were determined. The range of differences between the physical activity of men and women was assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test. The majority of the surveyed female and male students were characterized by high (47.2% of women, 60.2% of men) and moderate (42.4% of women, 36.2% of men) levels of physical activity. The male students were characterized by a higher level of physical activity of moderate intensity in comparison to female students. Public health programs aimed at promoting leisure-time physical activity should therefore be addressed primarily to female students. This may contribute to a better gender equality in terms of access to physical activity.