Health Behaviors in College Students
Disciplines
Public Health
Abstract (300 words maximum)
College students are prone to facing health issues, and understanding the factors related to these health issues is crucial for developing new measures such as campus resources to support students. The purpose of this study is to collect and analyze data on how students' classification (for example, first-year students versus seniors) is related to student health. Past research has primarily focused on only one type of health behavior, such as physical health (e.g., Ferarra et al., 2013). In addition, there is little research on the extent to which health behaviors change across students’ years in college (Racette et al., 2008). The present study was designed to address these research gaps. A sample of students’ various aspects of health, which includes sleep habits, diet, exercise, illnesses, and mental health, will be examined to investigate trends across gender, GPA, employment, family, classification, etc. In this study, students in different year classifications will be given an online survey to collect insight on different behaviors that potentially could affect students’ health. The students will be asked several questions on demographics, such as what their classification is, and the survey will include questions related to physical, emotional, and social health. We expect to see a more comprehensive picture of what specifically in each classification is affecting college students' health. The conclusions drawn from this study will provide insight and contribute to the literature into how to better serve the unique student health needs based on their classification.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Health Promotion and Physical Education
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dr. Amy Buddie
Health Behaviors in College Students
College students are prone to facing health issues, and understanding the factors related to these health issues is crucial for developing new measures such as campus resources to support students. The purpose of this study is to collect and analyze data on how students' classification (for example, first-year students versus seniors) is related to student health. Past research has primarily focused on only one type of health behavior, such as physical health (e.g., Ferarra et al., 2013). In addition, there is little research on the extent to which health behaviors change across students’ years in college (Racette et al., 2008). The present study was designed to address these research gaps. A sample of students’ various aspects of health, which includes sleep habits, diet, exercise, illnesses, and mental health, will be examined to investigate trends across gender, GPA, employment, family, classification, etc. In this study, students in different year classifications will be given an online survey to collect insight on different behaviors that potentially could affect students’ health. The students will be asked several questions on demographics, such as what their classification is, and the survey will include questions related to physical, emotional, and social health. We expect to see a more comprehensive picture of what specifically in each classification is affecting college students' health. The conclusions drawn from this study will provide insight and contribute to the literature into how to better serve the unique student health needs based on their classification.