SPORTING AND INFORMATION-GATHERING HABITS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BETWEEN 2010 AND 2023

Abstract

In recent times, studies focusing on university students lifestyles, health awareness, and sports habits have come to the forefront. The aim of our research is to present the changes in university students’ habits related to sports, internet usage, and information acquisition between 2010 and 2023. First-year students of Szent István University (later MATE) at the Gödöllő campus participated in our research in 2010 (n=200) and again in 2023 (n=198). T he young adults in the sample completed a paper-based questionnaire. To analyze the data, we used the Mann-Whitney U test to examine the differences between the two data collections. T he results revealed that students spend several hours daily on the internet, acquiring most of their information from it. Compared to the 2010 survey, the number of students participating in sports increased by 2023, with 74.9% of students engaging in sports activities. However, the number of students participating in regular recreational sports decreased (p<0.05). According to the 2023 measurement, the number of those spending more than 2 hours online daily increased. Nonetheless, in both surveys, studying and searching/browsing were the most popular internet-based activities. While in 2010, 66.5% of students sought information about sports opportunities online, this figure rose to 87.8% in 2023 (p<0.05). Based on our findings, it is considered important to include information related to sports on the university’s website.