Actividad física, calidad del sueño y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios en Ecuador

Introduction: university students must adapt to new rhythms, assume responsibilities, and respond to a competitive academic environment; in this context, physical activity and sleep quality take on great importance. Objective: to present the results of an educational intervention in university students to improve academic performance and sleep quality through the systematic practice of physical activity. Methodology: a quasi-experimental study was conducted, with a descriptive and correlational scope. The sample consisted of 287 university students, of whom 166 were part of the study sample. A physical activity program was designed and implemented for 45 minutes, with a frequency of three times per week. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire was used to determine sleep quality, the McNemar test to identify changes in academic performance after the intervention, and the Pearson linear correlation test to identify the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance. Results: The average age of the participants was 23.71 years. Initially, the majority of students did not engage in regular physical activity and had poor sleep quality. The academic performance of male students was 8.03 points, and 8.11 for female students. After the intervention, the number of students engaging in regular physical activity and having good sleep quality increased in both sexes. The academic performance of male students was 8.84, and that of female students was 8.95 points. Conclusions: The implemented educational intervention improved the students' academic performance.