Leisure-Time Exercise improves the Well-being of Arab Undergraduate Students

Authors

  • Kashef Zayed College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
  • Ghada Al-Khasawneh Faculty of Education, Yarmouk University, Jordan
  • Ehab Omara College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
  • Ali Al Shamli Faculty of Education and Arts, Suhar University, Oman
  • Mahmoud Azab Faculty of Arts and Educational Sciences, Khadouri University, Palestine
  • Ahmad Al Haramleh Hafr Al Baten University, KSA
  • Asma Al - Attiyah College of Education, Qatar Universty, Qatar
  • Nasser Al Rawahi College of Education, Qatar Universty, Qatar
  • Mohammed Hassan Faculty of Education, Zagazeg University, Eygpt

Keywords:

Leisure time, exercise, mental well-being, university

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate leisure-time exercise and mental well-being of undergraduate Arab students. To achieve these goals, a self-reported exercise scale and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (W-EMWBS) were administered on a sample of 703 undergraduate Arab students registered in universities in four Arab countries (318 males, and 385 females; m age = 19.97 ± 1.86)  Descriptive statistics showed that the participants had good levels of mental well-being and that only 26% of them regularly engage in sports activities according to the global recommended health standards, while 39% of them do not practice sports at all. The results revealed that participants who used to engage in different levels of exercise and physical activities during their leisure times have better levels of mental well-being compared to their physically inactive counterparts (p =.000). The study concluded that practicing sports in leisure time, even at limited rates, is associated with a high level of mental health.

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Published

2021-06-01

How to Cite

Zayed, K. ., Al-Khasawneh, G. ., Omara, E. ., Al Shamli, A. ., Azab, M. . ., Al Haramleh, A. ., Al - Attiyah, A. ., Al Rawahi, N. ., & Hassan, M. . (2021). Leisure-Time Exercise improves the Well-being of Arab Undergraduate Students. Dirasat: Educational Sciences, 48(2), 247–257. Retrieved from http://dsr.ju.edu.jo/djournals/index.php/Edu/article/view/2804

Issue

Vol. 48 No. 2 (2021)

Section

Articles

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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