Study on Healthy Habits of Students in the Further Education Program at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena in Relation to the Practice of Physical Activity and Sport in 2013

The implementation and development of a university program for the elderly at the Universidad Politecnica of Cartagena has revealed itself as a useful promotion tool of good physical health. The practice of physical activity and sports is one of the healthy habits most recommended by experts. However, a study by García Ferrando (2006) shows that the population of senior citizens who practice these activities in Spain is not higher than 17.4%. On the other hand, García Ferrando (2005) conducted a study on this population which comes to interesting conclusions about the degree and spread of healthy habits in the practice of sports in everyday life. That study also analyzed the degree of sedentary lifestyle according to sex in this population section, showing that elderly women display levels of sport practice lower than their male counterparts. Against this background, our paper analyzes the physical activity habits of students from our University for the Elderly. Our study suggests that the practice of physical activity is one of the healthy habits most highly valued by this group and also an efficient means for their socialization. Ultimately, the findings of this research will be useful to develop better physical activity and sports programs addressed at this target group, and thus promote active ageing.