The physical activity of Spanish speleologists: accomplishment of recommendations and differences by sociodemographic variables

Outdoor adventure activities are becoming more popular due to their potential health benefits, although there is little scientific information on speleology as a physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study expand the evidence in field two ways: (a) describe PA performed by speleologists, taking into account variables interest such gender, age, education, speleological level, participation ‘Alpine’ explorations and body mass index (BMI) (b) identify how far World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations were accomplished (i.e.,150 min moderate-intensity aerobic or 75 vigorous-intensity aerobic). A cross-sectional was conducted 436 speleologists (305 men, 130 women). participants completed an electronic survey after which descriptive analysis pairwise comparisons (Mann–Whitney U Kruskal–Wallis tests) non-normal data. mean metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes/week 4070.80 (±3078.80) for total PA, 1937.65 (±1992.39) vigorous 827.66 (±1049.81) moderate 1304.87 (±1031.65) walking intensity. 73.4% met recommendations. Nonparametric tests revealed differences educational level expertise. Women, middle group doctorate vocational training students, beginners less active than counterparts. findings provide important contributions towards positioning understanding sport practice.