ABSTRACT
Physical activity and sedentary behaviour play an important role in preventing the progression of obesity in adolescence to adulthood. This study was conducted to determine the association between physical activity, sitting time (sedentary behaviour) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sumatera Utara. One hundred and thirty students were respondents in this study, selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and completion of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). BMI was determined using a digital weighing scales and microtoise. All data were analysed using SPSS. Based on one-way ANOVA test analysis revealed that there was a significant association (p = 0.007) of physical activity toward the mean of BMI but no relationship the sedentary behaviour with BMI (p = 0.546). The results suggest that BMI is related to physical activity but not to sedentary behaviour.
