Changes in student physical health behaviour: an opportunity to turn the concept of a Healthy University into a reality

Prevalence and Correlates of Health Risk Behaviors among University Students from a State in the Southern Region of Brazil

BACKGROUND

Surveys conducted in different regions of the world show that the prevalence rates of health risk behaviors (HRBs) in university students are sometimes higher than those found in non-university populations. This study aims to identify the prevalence rates and demographic and academic environment correlates associated with HRBs among Brazilian university students.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional epidemiological study, a random sample of 5310 university students answered an online questionnaire, with demographic (sex, age, skin color, marital status, and paid work) and academic setting information (housing type, size of campus, year, and shift of study), as well as items clustered in four HRB domains: personal safety and violence, sexual behavior and contraception, addictive substance use, eating habits, physical activity, and sleep. The data were analyzed statistically using bivariate analysis and hierarchical multiple regression.

RESULTS

The highest prevalence rates occurred in HRBs clustered in the domain of eating habits, physical activity, and sleep (>60%), while HRBs for personal security and violence were less prevalent (<15%). From 15% to 35% of university students assumed HRBs regarding addictive substance use, and approximately 50% reported risky sexual behavior. The university students most susceptible to HRBs were men, aged ≥ 22 years, living far from their family, studying on larger campuses, attending night classes, and with two or more years of study at the university.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that policies and interventions in the university context aimed at students' readiness to engage in a healthy lifestyle should target specific correlates associated with HRBs.

Analyzing mechanisms of interdisciplinary cooperation in promoting students' health at university

BACKGROUND

Interdisciplinary cooperation among university actors and resulting intersectoral synergies are considered cornerstones in the process of incorporating health promotion practices in everyday university life in order to break down barriers and provide better access to health promotion services. To date, no network of a health-promoting university has been examined regarding the processes underlying tie formation, network emergence, and maintenance.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS

The goals of this study are to obtain insight into the mechanisms of cooperation between university actors in a health-promoting network and to identify the structural and attributive factors associated with establishing cooperation between actors in the observed network in order to better understand how to build and develop successful networks in the future. For this purpose, a social network analysis was carried out and exponential random graph models were estimated to test corresponding hypotheses.

RESULTS

The network at hand consists of 33 actors (e.g. University Sports Center, General Student Committee) and shows a flat, non-hierarchical structure. Data reveal that attributed competence predicts cooperation (0.32; p < 0.05). Significant homophily effects among student actors (1.31; p < 0.05) and among university actors (0.59; p < 0.05) were found. All structural predictors examined were significant (0.22-5.40; p < 0.05) and are therefore essential in determining the likelihood of cooperation between actors involved in the network.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study provide for a better understanding of the mechanisms of cooperation and can be used to further develop the network at hand (e.g. selection of key actors for information dissemination or integration of peripheral actors). In addition, the findings offer starting points for sustained network development at other universities (e.g. significance of network governance form or goal consensus). Knowing the factors that influence the network structure, here the conditions of cooperation, results in opportunities to encourage empowerment among actors. However, the analysis of the network undertaken does not directly bear on the success of the network.

Evolution of 'whole institution' approaches to improving health in tertiary education settings: a critical scoping review

In recent decades, 'whole school' approaches to improving health have gained traction, based on settings-based health promotion understandings which view a setting, its actors and processes as an integrated 'whole' system with multiple intervention opportunities. Much less is known about 'whole institution' approaches to improving health in tertiary education settings. We conducted a scoping review to describe both empirical and non-empirical (e.g. websites) publications relating to 'whole settings', 'complex systems' and 'participatory'/'action' approaches to improving the health of students and staff within tertiary education settings. English-language publications were identified by searching five academic and four grey literature databases and via the reference lists of studies read for eligibility. We identified 101 publications with marked UK overrepresentation. Since the 1970s, publications have increased, spanning a gradual shift in focus from 'aspirational' to 'conceptual' to 'evaluative'. Terminology is geographically siloed (e.g., 'healthy university' (UK), 'healthy campus' (USA)). Publications tend to focus on 'health' generally rather than specific health dimensions (e.g. diet). Policies, arguably crucial for cascading systemic change, were not the most frequently implemented intervention elements. We conclude that, despite the field's evolution, key questions (e.g., insights into who needs to do what, with whom, where and when; or efficacy) remain unanswered.

Interactive communication in the process of physical education: are social media contributing to the improvement of physical training performance

The development of modern technologies and the use of social networks create an environment for the exchange of information, interactive communication, learning, and optimization of various processes. The study describes the results of the effectiveness of using various social media tools to increase the level of physical activity in people of different ages (12-35 years old). Effective tools for increasing the level of physical activity that can be used on social media have been considered. A survey created in Google forms was conducted to select research participants and group them; the pedagogical experiment is the introduction of social media tools to encourage users to do sports. The experiment involved 148 people of different age groups: adolescents, students, adults. After the experiment with the experimental group, there were 59.20% of participants with an average level of physical activity and 22.37% of participants with a high level of physical activity; in the control group, 31.58% of participants had a low level of physical activity, 48.70%-average, 10.53%-high. Most participants of all ages (88.16%) refrained from posting videos of their achievements on social media, while nine participants (5 pupils and 4 students) posted their achievements in the form of short video exercises or screenshots, and reports of exercises in mobile applications in their groups. The research results are applicable to various social groups and can be used to create private groups on social media to encourage physical activity. The data obtained can be used for further development of specialized training programs using digital technology and social networks.

Patterns of Physical Activity Among University Students and Their Perceptions About the Curricular Content Concerned With Health: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

University students are at risk of losing their focus on maintaining healthy levels of physical activity because of their engagements with curricular and cocurricular activities. In India, the physical activity levels of the adult population have been reported to be declining in the recent years. However, studies focusing on university students pertaining to their physical activity are lacking in the Indian context. Moreover, a question that has not been properly addressed is the following: "do the curricula in higher education promote physical activity?"

OBJECTIVE

Our paper aims at describing the physical activity levels of the students in a large public-funded central university located in northern India. The study also aims at capturing the student perceptions about the emphasis they receive on leading a physically active lifestyle during their routine curricular activities.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study and uses International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form to record physical activity among 4586 students. Stratified sampling method was used to enroll the students from each stream (faculty). Out of 30,667 students, about 15% were included from each faculty. The study was conducted between 2016 and 2019. To capture the student perceptions, we used a newly developed 5-item scale.

RESULTS

From a total of 4586 participants in the study, 2828 (61.7%) were male and 1758 (38.3%) were female students. The mean age of our sample was 22.34 (SD 3.12) years. Our results indicate that about 14.5% (n=666) of all students in the study fall under the "Inactive" category. Furthermore, the perception about the curricular content pertaining to physical activity varied widely between the students of different streams.

CONCLUSIONS

Our sample reported a better physical activity pattern in comparison to the reported overall physical activity levels of the adult population of India. Our results also suggest that health-related topics are inadequately represented in many of the streams of higher education in the university.

2022 Prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases in Of the Russian Federation. National guidelines

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Lifetime prevention of cardiovascular disease. Part III: young, middle, elderly and senile age

Intensive investigation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (RFs), both traditional (smoking, dyslipidemia, diabetes, etc.) and non-traditional, which are a component of the so-called exposome, as well as their non-drug and drug correction provide wide prospects for effective cardiovascular prevention. Prevention becomes the dominant trend in cardiology and in medicine in general. The aim of the article was to describe cardiovascular prevention in young, middle, elderly and senile age. Due to the multifaceted nature of cardiovascular RFs, an integrated biopsychosocial approach, individual and population-based prevention, cumulative risk assessment of all CVDs, intersectoral collaboration and the involvement of decision-makers, are key to the success and effectiveness of prevention measures. It is important to note that, on the one hand, preventive measures should be started as early as possible due to cumulative effect of RFs, on the other hand, most of the preventive interventions for CVD are extremely relevant at all life stages.

Testing the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with Partial Least Squares Second-Order Latent Constructs

We tested the Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) framework on Romanian students in order to identify actionable determinants to support participation in physical activity. Our sample consisted of 665 responses to an online survey, with participants aged 18-23 (mean = 19 years); 70% were women. We used the partial least squares algorithm to estimate the relationships between students' behavior and possible predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results indicate that all the theoretical dimensions of YPAP (predisposing, enabling and reinforcing) have a positive and significant impact on physical activity, with two mediating mechanisms expressed as predisposing factors: able and worth. Unlike previous research, we used second-order latent constructs, unveiling a particular structure for the enabling dimension that only includes sport competence, fitness and skills, but not the environmental factors.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyle in University Students: Changes during Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Regular physical activity is related to many factors in a university student’s environment. The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown have restricted many elements of our environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate students’ physical activity and sedentary behaviour at two points in time: before and during the coronavirus lockdown. As a secondary aim, we also wanted to look at changes resulting from other factors (alcohol, tobacco, diet, stages of change, symptoms of anxiety/depression and sociodemographic characteristics). We conducted an observational, cross-sectional, pre-post study with two cut-off points. Two hundred and thirteen students took part in the study. The main dependent variables were physical activity and sitting time, measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Parametric and non-parametric tests were used for paired and unpaired data, as well as group-stratified analysis. During lockdown, both weekly physical activity (MD: −159.87; CI: −100.44, −219.31) and weekly sitting time increased (MD: −106.76; CI: −71.85, −141.67). In the group analysis, differences were observed in relation to gender, year of study, BMI, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, symptoms of anxiety/depression, Mediterranean diet, living situation and stage of change. The results showed an increase in both physical activity and sitting time globally and by group.

Studying biological science does not lead to adoption of a healthy lifestyle

AIMS

The lifestyle and physical activity (PA) habits of young people play a key role in the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at older ages. The current generation of biological science students at university holds promise for better future medicine and medical technology. However, their physical fitness and lifestyle are often ignored.

METHODS

Lifestyle, PAs and common risk factors for cardiovascular disease before, and at, university were collected from 408 students using self-completed, anonymous surveys between the academic years of 2017 and 2019 from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS® 9.4 software.

RESULTS

Among the 408 participants, 134 were male and 274 were female with a mean (SD) age of 19.6 (2.24). Approximately 19% of participants consumed alcohol beyond the safe limit of <14 units/week (112 g/week). Among them, 65% were males. Before university, 47% of students failed to meet the UK National Physical Activity Guidelines (NPAG) which increased to 56% during university with males exhibiting a steeper incline. Compared to their lifestyles before university, more students had insufficient sleep and displayed greater sedentariness during university. Moreover, 16% of students declared no engagement in PA which was greater than the value of 12% before university. Fitness perceptions worsened by 11% during university particularly for females. Statistical analysis revealed that gender, BMI and fitness perceptions were significantly correlated with PA levels. The most prevalent explanation for inadequacy in meeting NPAG was insufficient time.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to their pre-university lifestyles, biological science students at university are more likely to adopt unhealthier behaviours with less time for exercise and prolonged sedentary behaviours, which increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases. It is important to raise awareness of their fitness perceptions and to encourage health-promoting programmes at university.

Risk behaviors among Italian healthcare students: a cross-sectional study for health promotion of future healthcare workers

Background:

Risk behaviors are frequent among young adults and they are particularly relevant when considering healthcare students.

Objectives:

The study is aimed to examine the prevalence of smoking, binge drinking, physical inactivity, and excessive bodyweight in a population of healthcare students attending an Italian university.

Methods:

Healthcare students filled an anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire on the occasion of the occupational health visit that preceded their hospital internship. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic characteristics (including student’s working status and cohabitation) and risk behaviors. We evaluated the prevalence of risk behaviors and their association with socio-demographic characteristics.

Results:

The sample consisted of 494 students (65% women): 23.2% were smokers, 7.9% had excessive bodyweight, 35% did not practice any physical activity and 50% reported binge drinking at least once in the last 12 months. We found associations of male sex (30.5%) and being nursing students (29.9%) with smoking habit. The frequency of binge drinking was higher in men (38.4%), working students (53.9%), and among those who lived without family (50%). Physical inactivity was associated with female sex (44.2%) and living without family (57.1%). Finally, the co-presence of 2 risk behaviors or more was higher in men (36.8%), in nursing students (39.6%) and in working students (44.7%).

Conclusions:

Our findings regarding the prevalence of risk behaviors and their potential association with socio-demographic factors may be a clue to the definition of targeted strategies aimed at reducing of risk behaviors among healthcare students.

Prevention: From the cradle to the grave and beyond

Present cardiac prevention mainly focuses on risk reduction later in life, and focuses also mainly on reducing risk factors for coronary heart disease. However, multiple studies have gathered evidence that the development risk of cardiovascular disease starts early in life and that even preconceptional influences play an important role in lifetime risk. Therefore, the importance of well-timed prevention strategies to reduce cardiovascular disease is well established. In this article, we discuss different risk factors for future cardiac disease, and how we can respond to lesser known cardiac risk factors in the different stages of life.