The relationship between lifestyle and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has been extensively studied in adults, with evidence indicating that CRF is associated with a lower risk of physical and mental health problems1–3. However, this relationship is still not clearly established for university students and most studies in this area have not explored how different aspects of lifestyle can affect cardiorespiratory fitness in the young population4. In view of this, understanding how different aspects of lifestyle are associated with ACR can be useful for the development of interventions aimed at promoting the health and well-being of this population.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between lifestyle components and cardiorespiratory fitness in university students.

The research used a quantitative cross-sectional observational method with a sample of 139 university students (53% women), with a mean age of 23 ± 6 years. To assess lifestyle, the instrument The Short Multidimensional Inventory Lifestyle Evaluation (SMILE-C)5 was used. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed using the 20m Shuttle Run test6, which is a valid measure to estimate the ACR in the young population4. Statistical analysis was performed using a univariate general linear model to assess the contribution of each lifestyle component to cardiorespiratory fitness. The significance adopted was p<0.05. All analyzes were performed using SPSS Version 27.0 software.

The results demonstrated that lifestyle was a significant predictor (F (7, 131) = 3.472; p=0.002; R²=0.15), explaining approximately 15% of the variation in cardiorespiratory fitness. However, the results for each specific lifestyle component were different. Physical activity showed a significant positive relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness (β= 0.55; CI 95%= 0.12, 0.98; p=0.013; R²=0.04), while social support (β= -0.37; CI 95 %= -0.62, 0.12; p=0.004; R²=0.06) and environmental exposure (β= -0.63; 95%CI= -1.08, -0.18; p=0.006; R²=0.05) showed a significant negative relationship. In contrast, no significant associations were found between cardiorespiratory fitness and other lifestyle components (diet and nutrition, substance use, stress management, and restorative sleep).

This study provides evidence indicating that different aspects of lifestyle are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in university students. Physical activity, social support and environmental exposure were identified as important factors for promoting cardiorespiratory fitness in this population.

The findings of this study can be applied in creating specific intervention programs aimed at improving the cardiorespiratory fitness of university students, including promoting regular physical activity and improving environmental exposure and social support. In addition, knowledge of these factors can also be used by health professionals to guide and encourage students to adopt a healthier lifestyle, thus improving the health and well-being of this population.