Significant numbers of undergraduate university students are not meeting the physical activity guidelines recommended by the World Health Organisation. These guidelines suggest that university students should aim for 150–300 min of moderate or 75–150 min of vigorous physical activity. Strategic interventions need to be implemented to address this global public health concern. The aim of this study was to review the strategies and best practices to enhance the physical activity levels of undergraduate university students. Utilising the PRISMA guidelines, electronic databases—PubMed, Science Direct, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Web of Science, CINAHL, SAGE, and SPORTDiscus—were searched between September 2022 and February 2023 using terms and synonyms related to physical activity, strategies, best practices, and undergraduate university students. Studies were critically assessed for their quality using an adapted version of the CASP and RE-AIM frameworks. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria for the review. The studies reported the use of social media platforms, mobile phone applications, web-based technology, online text messages, in-person classes, and an “exergame” as methods to increase engagement in physical activity. Findings from this review indicated that validated questionnaires emerged as the predominant measurement tool. Furthermore, the frequent use of social network sites served as a best practice for implementing and promoting physical activity interventions. It is recommended that universities promote health-enhancing physical activities based on current trends and strategies, such as technology-based interventions and the use of social media, that are relevant to contemporary university students.

Psychosocial factors such as mental health, motivation, and social support are key determinants of behavior that play a significant role in physical activity participation. Limited studies have investigated the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical activity among university students in Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical activity participation among undergraduate university students at a historically disadvantaged university (HDU) in South Africa. This was a cross-sectional study that used convenience sampling (n = 534, majority female, 53.6% with a mean age of 20.69). The study was conducted through an online, self-administered, and hard-copy, valid questionnaire in September 2022. Data on sociodemographic information were collected. Psychosocial factors were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21 Scale for mental health, the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale for motivation, and the Perceived Social Support Scale for social support. Physical activity (calculated as MET-min/week) was assessed using the international physical activity questionnaire in short form. Results revealed that almost a third (29%) of undergraduate students were physically inactive, 31.1% were minimally active, and 39.9% were in the health-enhancing category. Physical activity was positively related to stress (r = 0.11, p < 0.05) and anxiety (r = 0.10, p < 0.05). Motivational factors were positively related to psychological condition and others’ expectations (r = 0.10, p < 0.05), and depression and others’ expectations (r = 0.11, p < 0.05). Results from this study highlighted that psychosocial factors were related to physical activity participation among undergraduate university students. Psychosocial factors should be considered a coping mechanism when implementing health-promoting strategies.

Although game-based learning has gained significant attention in higher education globally, it is difficult to harness its engagement and interactions to improve student success. This paper argues that the use of digital games has the potential to interrupt social practices and increase engagement and interaction, thereby fostering meaningful learning. Using a mixed-method design, a digital game was used in a sport studies programme, involving 106 participants, over a two-year period. Data were collected through surveys, focus group discussions, and reflective blog posts. Structuration theory is considered as the theoretical lens, as it purports that recursive social activities of humans are continually recreated by human agents. The paper concludes that when participants engaged in a cross-cultural game-based learning environment, the social practices acquired through their academic career were interrupted, reshaped, and reproduced into new practices. A social constructivist game-based learning model to foster interaction within multi-cultural higher education classrooms is offered.

Physical inactivity among undergraduate university students has been considered a public health concern. To address this, researchers have utilized consensus workshop approaches to develop effective physical activity (PA) recommendations. However, the existing research has limitations: it is outdated, not context-specific to young adults, and does not account for psychosocial factors (such as mental health, motivation, and social support) that hinder or promote PA behavior, particularly in South Africa. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to engage with stakeholders to achieve a consensus on a set of context-specific guidelines to enhance the physical activities of undergraduate university students. Utilizing the Social Ecological Model, this study employed two online consensus workshops with 25 purposively selected stakeholders (Round 1 = 8 and Round 2 = 17). Stakeholders were divided into breakout rooms via the Google Meets feature, to discuss and brainstorm the guidelines, expressing their agreement or disagreement with the proposed names and descriptions. The consensus was considered achieved when the majority of stakeholder responses fell into the ‘Agree with the guideline’ category. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to generate common themes, which were then coded via Atlas Ti. V8. Stakeholders reached a consensus on four categories and 32 guidelines, namely, PA (9 guidelines), mental health (7 guidelines), motivation (9 guidelines), and social support (7 guidelines). Each category, along with its respective set of guidelines, provides insights into the type of information undergraduate students require to enhance their PA participation. Using a consensus workshop facilitated the co-creation of context-specific guidelines to enhance the physical activities of undergraduate university students. This approach proved to be a valuable tool for fostering collaboration between academic staff and students.

Background. The rapid uptake and pace at which digital transformation tools have impacted educational provision in health professions education (HPE) may reshape our teaching and learning practices in southern Africa. This article explores some ideas about the implementation using extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in HPE. Objectives. The objective of this article is to offer potential uses for implementing XR and AI in HPE in the southern African context. Methods. This article used a desktop approach to curate some novel ideas regarding the use of XR and AI in HPE. Results. The outcome of this article presents 10 novel ideas to implement XR and/or AI in the classroom, such as delivery of quality education, personalised learning and simulation and training. Conclusion. The use of XR and AI may improve training of students, improve patient outcomes, and ensure adequate professional development of staff in HPE.