Physical activity interventions have a moderate effect in increasing physical activity in university students—a meta-analysis

Introduction: The transition to college is associated with changes in physical activity. This meta-analysis aims to quantify the effect of interventions on increasing physical activity in healthy university students. Methods: We conducted a literature search (up to 2/3/2020) to identify randomized controlled trials with healthy undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a college degree program. Moderator analyses were conducted to examine the effects of intervention modality delivery (delivered in-person or remotely) and the type of outcome measure (self-report or objective measures). Results: 18 publications were included. Interventions had a medium effect on physical activity (Cohen’s d = 0.52). Moderator analyses revealed no differences. Conclusion: Suggestions of how to improve the quality of physical activity intervention studies in college students are given. The moderate effect size of physical activity interventions in college students highlights the importance of developing and testing new interventions to promote physical activity in emerging adults. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1998070.