Líška, DávidRutkowski, SebastianOplatková, LenkaSýkora, JozefPupiš, MartinNovák, JakubUrbářová, EliškaRutkowska, AnnaBusch, AndrewKobesová, Alena2025-09-192025-09-1920242052-1847https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-00833-5https://repo.umb.sk/handle/123456789/824In: BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. Londýn : BioMed Central, 2024. ISSN 2052-1847. Vol. 16 (2024), pp. 1-9.Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with limited physical activity (PA) of most of the world’s population. This cross-sectional prospective study aimed to assess the levels of PA of university students in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia after COVID-19 using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Methods: A total of 2635 students completed questionnaires regarding their PA levels using the IPAQ-SF between September and December 2022. Results: PA measured by metabolic equivalent of task (MET) scores, varied between the three countries: Slovakia median MET-minutes/week score 4459.9; Czech Republic 3838.8 Poland 3567.1. The results of the post hoc analysis revealed there were significant differences in MET-minutes/week values between the Czech Republic and Poland (p < 0.035) as well as between the Czech Republic and Slovakia (p < 0.037). The analysis of energetic expenditure during walking revealed that students from the Czech Republic and Slovakia had higher median MET-min/weeks values (Czech 2284.1; Slovak 2467.1) compared to their Polish (1536.1) peers (p < 0.001). Polish cohort presented with significantly higher body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001) than Czech and Slovak groups (BMI Czech: 22.3; Slovak 22.8; Polish 23.8). Conclusions: Significant differences in PA levels between the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia university students were identified. Slovakia showed the highest median PA measured as a MET score, and Poland showed the lowest. Compared to available pre-COVID studies it seems the total level of PA in the observed cohorts has not returned to the pre-COVID levels and students remain less active.enCC BY Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Internationalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesspohybová aktivitapohybové aktivitymovement activityfyzické aktivitycovid-19koronavírusCovid-19 (disease)SARS-CoV-2 diseaseCoronavirus disease 2019Article