ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AND THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an indicator of cardiovascular risk and its total values ??show a tendency to decrease in the absence of physical activity (PA). With the objective of comparing HRV between athletic and physically inactive university students from the city of Pasto (Colombia), this non-experimental descriptive correlational study was carried out it included a sample of 64 athletes and 100 non-athletes or physically inactive people. Non athletic or inactive individuals had 11.4 times more cardiovascular risk than athletes. It was determined that 19.3% of the athletes and 80.7% of the physically inactive people had high cardiovascular risk; 43.6% of the athletes and 56.4% of the physically inactive people had medium risk, and 81.1% of the athletes and 18.9% of the physically inactive individuals were at low risk. Therefore, an association was observed between levels of physical inactivity and cardiovascular risk (p = 0.000). The athletes had a mean HRV of 60.92 +/- 8.7, and the inactive group had a median HRV of 52. Therefore, it could be stated that high levels of PA serve as a protective factor for the cardiovascular system. High and medium cardiovascular risk is more present in inactive university students and less in athletes.