Background:
Numerous connections of physical activity with biological indicators and various diseases justify its place in the multifaceted theory of health, thus making it a health measure. The aim of the study was to learn about the physical activity declared by students at Belarusian universities – to determine its level and dominant areas.

Material and methods:
739 people studying in Brest, Minsk, and Grodno (Belarus) were surveyed with the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

Results:
The total physical activity of the surveyed students amounted to 4840.5 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/week (median), which proves their significant involvement in the broadly understood physical culture. The dominant area of their physical activity proved to be work-related effort (median=1700.6 MET-min/week), while the lowest activity of the respondents was related to sport and recreation. The surveyed men showed higher MET-min/week rates in total physical activity and its components compared with women except for housework. In each of the analyzed variables (gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), self-assessment of physical fitness, and declared amount of spare time), there were statistically significant differences in the physical activity level of the surveyed students.

Conclusions:
The surveyed men proved to be more active than women in all domains of physical activity except for housework. Respondents with a BMI indicating overweight were more active than those with a normal BMI or those who were underweight. High self-esteem and declaration of lacking spare time are associated with high values of the MET-min/week index.