Engagement in Health Risk Behaviours before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in German University Students: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

Tobacco and cannabis use, alcohol consumption and inactivity are health risk behaviors (HRB) of crucial importance for health and wellbeing. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students’ engagement in HRB has yet received limited attention. We investigated whether HRB changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, assessed factors associated with change and profiles of HRB changes in university students. A web-based survey was conducted in May 2020, including 5021 students of four German universities (69% female, the mean age of 24.4 years (SD = 5.1)). Sixty-one percent of students reported consuming alcohol, 45.8% binge drinking, 44% inactivity, 19.4% smoking and 10.8% cannabis use. While smoking and cannabis use remained unchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic, 24.4% reported a decrease in binge drinking while 5.4% reported an increase. Changes to physical activity were most frequently reported, with 30.6% reporting an increase and 19.3% reporting a decrease in vigorous physical activity. Being female, younger age, being bored, not having a trusted person and depressive symptoms were factors associated with a change in HRB. Five substance use behavior profiles were identified, which also remained fairly unchanged. Efforts to promote student health and wellbeing continue to be required, also in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Download Full-text

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Health Behaviors among Students of a French University

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084346 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4346

Author(s):

Marie Pierre Tavolacci ◽

Edwin Wouters ◽

Sarah Van de Velde ◽

Veerle Buffel ◽

Pierre Déchelotte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Health Behaviors ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Tobacco Smoking ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

Promotion Strategies ◽

The Impact ◽

Academic Year

This study aimed to determine the changes in health behaviors among students of a French university during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online retrospective survey was distributed to Rouen-Normandy University students at the end of the COVID-19 lockdown (13th March–11th May 2020). Voluntary university students were included. Data collected were on socio-demographics, academic environment, COVID19 concerns, tobacco smoking, binge drinking, cannabis use, and physical activity in the periods before and during COVID-19 lockdown. The survey was completed by 3671 university students (mean age 20.9 ± 2.47 years, 72.9% female). Significantly favorable changes between the periods before and during COVID-19 were reported for tobacco smoking (18.5% vs. 14.8%), binge drinking (35.9% vs. 9.3%) and cannabis use (5.6% vs. 3.2%) and unfavorable changes for moderate (79.4% vs. 67.9%) and vigorous physical activity (62.5% vs. 59.1%). After logistic regression, factors associated with unfavorable changes in tobacco smoking and with favorable changes in vigorous physical activity were the worry of not validating the academic year and stress related to changes in the mode of teaching, respectively. For each health behavior, unfavorable changes were associated with higher depression levels, and male gender. Then as a decrease, mainly in binge drinking was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown, care must be taken to prevent university students from resuming binge drinking after the end of the lockdown. Health-promotion strategies directed at adopting or maintaining positive mental health and promoting physical activity should be developed for university students to better manage future lockdown periods.

Download Full-text

Relationships Among Meeting Physical-Activity Guidelines and Health Risk Behaviors

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2014-0079 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 776-781 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ashley Walker ◽

Jody Langdon ◽

Krystina Johnson

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Health Risk ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Tobacco Use ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

College Health ◽

Data Set ◽

Physical Activity Guidelines ◽

The Relationship

Background:Young adults have the highest participation in physical activity but also have the highest incidence rates of binge drinking, cigarette smoking, and smokeless tobacco use. We examined these factors to determine whether there are relationships among physical activity and health risk behaviors.Methods:We conducted correlation and χ2 analyses using the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment fall 2009 data set (N = 34,208) to examine the relationship among meeting physical-activity guidelines, binge drinking, and tobacco use among survey participants.Results:The data suggest a positive relationship between meeting physical-activity guidelines and binge drinking, with the strongest relationship between those reporting binge drinking 4 times in a 2-week period. Meeting physical-activity guidelines was negatively associated with cigarette use but positively associated with all other types of tobacco use.Conclusion:Associations between physical activity and binge-drinking episodes indicate a need to address the relationship between heavy drinking and alcohol dependence and physical-activity behavior patterns. Further studies should examine relationships between physical activity and binge drinking in other age groups. Results also suggest the need to examine differing associations between physical activity and types of tobacco use.

Download Full-text

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on University Students' Physical Activity Levels: An Early Systematic Review

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.624567 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Alejandro López-Valenciano ◽

David Suárez-Iglesias ◽

Miguel A. Sanchez-Lastra ◽

Carlos Ayán

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

University Students ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Physical Activity Levels ◽

The Impact

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 lockdown had on the amount of physical activity performed by university students.Materials and Methods: A systematic electronic search for studies providing information regarding physical activity levels pre and during COVID-19 pandemic in university students was performed up to 20th October 2020 in the databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias of external validity quality of included studies was assessed by means of those the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The quality of the evidence for main outcomes was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.Results and Conclusions: A total of 10 studies were selected. Physical activity levels were assessed by means of questionnaires (10 studies) and accelerometer (1 study). Risk of bias was regarded as low and high in six and four investigations, respectively. The quality of evidence was downgraded to low. A significant reduction of physical activity levels were observed in 9 studies. Compared to pre-lockdown values, five studies showed a reduction of light/mild physical activity (walking) between 32.5 and 365.5%, while seven studies revealed a reduction of high/vigorous physical activity between 2.9 and 52.8%. Walking, moderate, vigorous, and total physical activity levels have been reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic confinements in university students of different countries. Despite of the reductions, those who met the current minimum PA recommendations before the lockdown generally met the recommendations also during the confinements.

Download Full-text

Impact of COVID-19 induced lockdown on physical activity and sedentary behavior among university students: A systematic review

Medwave ◽

10.5867/medwave.2021.08.8456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (08) ◽

pp. e8456-e8456

Author(s):

Paola Andrea Rivera ◽

Bojan Luc Nys ◽

Fabián Fiestas

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Graduate Students ◽

University Students ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Sitting Time ◽

World Health ◽

The Impact

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has entailed a significant socio-economic impact on various layers of the population. In many countries, attempts to control viral dissemination involved lockdown measures that limited citizens' overall mobility and professional and leisure activities. Objective This systematic review investigates the impact of COVID-19-induced lockdowns on university student physical activity and sedentary behav-ior, as these relate to physical and mental well-being. Methods Data was collected through PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, and APA PsycInfo databases until January 2021. Results Seven studies conducted in five different countries (United States, Spain, Italy, China, and United Kingdom) were included in the final review. Overall, most studies reported a significant decrease in mild physical activity (i.e., walking) among undergraduate students but not among graduate students. Consistently, most studies reported a significant increase in sedentary time (i.e., sitting time on weekdays) in undergraduate students but not in graduate students. We observed that students who were more sedentary previous to lockdown, increased or did not change their moderate and/or vigorous physical activity. In contrast, those who were less sedentary previous to lockdown decreased their moderate and/or vigorous physical activity. Conclusions COVID 19 induced lockdowns appear to have negatively affected walking and sedentary behavior among undergraduate students but not among graduate students. Our results highlight the importance of promoting the World Health Organization recommendations for physical activity and sedentary behavior among university students to improve health outcomes.

Download Full-text

Student-, Study- and COVID-19-Related Predictors of Students’ Smoking, Binge Drinking and Cannabis Use before and during the Initial COVID-19 Lockdown in The Netherlands

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19020812 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 812

Author(s):

Kirsten J. M. van Hooijdonk ◽

Milagros Rubio ◽

Sterre S. H. Simons ◽

Tirza H. J. van Noorden ◽

Maartje Luijten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

The Netherlands ◽

University Students ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Student Loan ◽

Male Gender ◽

Cannabis Use ◽

The Impact

Tobacco, alcohol and cannabis are commonly used among university students. However, student lives and their substance use have changed dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on (trends in) weekly smoking, weekly binge drinking and weekly cannabis use in Dutch university students and investigated associated student-, study- and COVID-19-related characteristics. Between April and June 2020, several Dutch higher educational institutes invited their students to participate in an online survey. Data of 9967 students (Mage = 22.0 (SD = 2.6); Nfemale = 7008 (70.3%)) were available for analyses. Overall, weekly smoking remained stable (±11.5%), weekly binge drinking decreased (from 27.8% to 13.9%) and weekly cannabis use increased (from 6.7% to 8.6%). Male gender, not living with parents, being a bachelor student, having less financial resources and less adherence to the COVID-19 measures were found to increase the risk of substance use (before/during the first COVID-19 lockdown). Additionally, male gender, not living with parents, being a bachelor student, not being born in the Netherlands and having a student loan contributed to the likelihood of increased substance use during COVID-19. Patterns of characteristics contributing to the likelihood of decreased weekly substance use during COVID-19 were less clear. The risk factors male gender, not living with parents and being a bachelor student do not only contribute to the likelihood of using substances but also contribute to the likelihood of increased use during a lockdown. Prevention and intervention programs should especially target these risk groups.

Download Full-text

Risk behavior perception in university students of the health area

Acta Universitaria ◽

10.15174/au.2015.763 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 44-51

Author(s):

Ma. Guadalupe Reynaga-Ornelas ◽

María del Pilar Fernández-Carrasco ◽

Ileana del Carmen Muñoz-Canul ◽

Luz Elvia Vera-Becerra

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Life Style ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Healthy Life ◽

Health Area ◽

Healthy Life Style

Risk behaviors associated with life style may deliver in students´ health risk. Therefore, our objective is to describe health risk behaviors perceived by health area university students. For this a 14 item survey about risk behaviors related to physical activity practice, food consumption, drug use, stress level and sleep habits was applied in the health area students. 995 students were interviewed. Most were women (69%) with 20.1 + 1.8 years old. Of these women surveyed, twenty nine percent report no physical activity. Fifty one percent eat 5 fruit and vegetables 4 times/week or more. Only 30% drinks 2 L of water/day. Eighty two percent don’t smoke, 55% don’t drink alcohol and 90% don’t use drugs. Twelve percent reports to be on stress always and 72% sleep more than 7 hours/day only 3 times/week or less. This work concluded that university students of the Health Area don´t have the healthy life style that’s expected.

Download Full-text

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on university students’ dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour

10.1101/2021.01.12.21249608 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leandy Bertrand ◽

Keely A. Shaw ◽

Jongbum Ko ◽

Dalton Deprez ◽

Philip D. Chilibeck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

List Type ◽

Sedentary Activity ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

The Impact

AbstractUniversity students are a vulnerable group for poor dietary intake, insufficient physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on university students’ dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Participants were students (n=125) from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina. An online questionnaire was administered retrospectively (for pre-pandemic) and prospectively (during the pandemic) to examine students’ dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Overall, nutrient and caloric intakes were significantly reduced (p<0.05) during the pandemic, and alcohol intake increased (p=0.03). Before the pandemic, 16% and 54% of the participants were meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults (18–64 years) of 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity and 8 hours or less of sedentary activity respectively. Only 10% met the guidelines for physical activity while 30% met the guidelines for sedentary behaviour during the pandemic. The minutes per week spent engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the pandemic decreased by approximately 20% (p<0.001). The hours spent in sedentary activities increased by 3 hours per day (p<0.001). Our findings confirm that during the pandemic, students’ inadequate dietary intake, high alcohol consumption, low physical activity and high sedentary behaviour were significantly compounded.NoveltyDuring COVID-19, the nutrient and caloric intakes of university students decreased, and alcohol intake increased significantly.University students’ physical activity levels decreased, and sedentary activity increased significantly during COVID-19.During COVID-19 students did not engage in sufficient physical activity to offset the increased sedentary behaviour.

Download Full-text

Prevalence of alcohol consumption and factors associated with binge drinking behavior among adolescents in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, 2016

Acta Scientiarum Health Sciences ◽

10.4025/actascihealthsci.v43i1.52633 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. e52633

Author(s):

Claudio Monteiro Freitas ◽

Jorge Bezerra ◽

Fernanda Cunha Soares ◽

Mallu Dias Soares ◽

Rodrigo Antunes Lima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Health Risk ◽

Binge Drinking ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

The State ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Factors Associated

To investigate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and the factors associated with binge drinking behavior among adolescents in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 6,002 adolescents composed of students from public high schools in Pernambuco, Brazil, aged 14 to 19 years. Binge drinking behavior was used as a dependent variable. The following were evaluated as possible risk factors: sociodemographic variables (gender, maternal education, marital status, work, religion); indicators of psychosocial stress (feelings of sadness; suicidal thoughts; feelings of loneliness; friends) and health risk behaviors (physical inactivity; number of sexual partners; drug use; and involvement in fights in the last year). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR). A total of 6,002 adolescents participated, with 75% reporting having consumed alcoholic beverages at least once in their lives. The prevalence of binge drinking in the last month was 17%. Adolescents without a religion had 81% (95%CI: 1.51; 2.16) more chance of consuming alcohol in excess. Adolescents who felt sad were 29% more likely to binge drink (95%CI: 1.08; 1.54), and adolescents who had already thought about suicide had 41% (95%CI: 1.13; 1.76) more chance to drink excessively. Adolescents who used illicit drugs had 4.6 times the chance (95%CI: 3.51; 6.17) of excessive drinking. Adolescents who engaged in four or more fights during the year were twice as likely to binge drink as those who did not fight (95%CI: 1.36; 2.88). The prevalence of alcohol consumption and binge drinking behavior was high. Sociodemographic factors, psychosocial stress and health risk behaviors were associated with binge drinking.

Download Full-text

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on university students’ dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2020-0990 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leandy Bertrand ◽

Keely A. Shaw ◽

Jongbum Ko ◽

Dalton Deprez ◽

Philip D. Chilibeck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

University Students ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Sedentary Activity ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

The Impact

University students are a vulnerable group for poor dietary intake, insufficient physical activity and sedentary behaviour. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on university students’ dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. Participants were students (n = 125) from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina. An online questionnaire was administered retrospectively (for prepandemic) and prospectively (during the pandemic) to examine students’ dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. Overall, nutrient and caloric intakes were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) during the pandemic, and alcohol intake increased (p = 0.03). Before the pandemic, 16% and 54% of the participants were meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults (18–64 years) of 150 min of moderate−vigorous physical activity and 8 h or less of sedentary activity, respectively. Only 10% met the guidelines for physical activity while 30% met the guidelines for sedentary behaviour during the pandemic. The minutes per week spent engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity during the pandemic decreased by approximately 20% (p < 0.001). The hours spent in sedentary activities increased by 3 h per day (p < 0.001). Our findings confirm that during the pandemic, students’ inadequate dietary intake, high alcohol consumption, low physical activity, and high sedentary behaviour were significantly compounded. Novelty: During COVID-19, the nutrient and caloric intakes of university students decreased, and alcohol intake increased significantly. University students’ physical activity levels decreased, and sedentary activity increased significantly during COVID-19. During COVID-19 students did not engage in sufficient physical activity to offset the increased sedentary behaviour.

Download Full-text

Clustering of health risk behaviors among adolescents in Kilifi, Kenya, a rural Sub-Saharan African setting

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0242186 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0242186

Author(s):

Derrick Ssewanyana ◽

Amina Abubakar ◽

Charles R. J. C. Newton ◽

Mark Otiende ◽

George Mochamah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

High Risk ◽

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Parental Monitoring ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

Health Risk Behavior ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Risk Takers

Background Adolescents tend to experience heightened vulnerability to risky and reckless behavior. Adolescents living in rural settings may often experience poverty and a host of risk factors which can increase their vulnerability to various forms of health risk behavior (HRB). Understanding HRB clustering and its underlying factors among adolescents is important for intervention planning and health promotion. This study examines the co-occurrence of injury and violence, substance use, hygiene, physical activity, and diet-related risk behaviors among adolescents in a rural setting on the Kenyan coast. Specifically, the study objectives were to identify clusters of HRB; based on five categories of health risk behavior, and to identify the factors associated with HRB clustering. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted of a random sample of 1060 adolescents aged 13–19 years living within the area covered by the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Participants completed a questionnaire on health behaviors which was administered via an Audio Computer-Assisted Self–Interview. Latent class analysis on 13 behavioral factors (injury and violence, hygiene, alcohol tobacco and drug use, physical activity, and dietary related behavior) was used to identify clustering and stepwise ordinal logistic regression with nonparametric bootstrapping identified the factors associated with clustering. The variables of age, sex, education level, school attendance, mental health, form of residence and level of parental monitoring were included in the initial stepwise regression model. Results We identified 3 behavioral clusters (Cluster 1: Low-risk takers (22.9%); Cluster 2: Moderate risk-takers (67.8%); Cluster 3: High risk-takers (9.3%)). Relative to the cluster 1, membership of higher risk clusters (i.e. moderate or high risk-takers) was strongly associated with older age (p<0.001), being male (p<0.001), depressive symptoms (p = 0.005), school non-attendance (p = 0.001) and a low level of parental monitoring (p<0.001). Conclusion There is clustering of health risk behaviors that underlies communicable and non-communicable diseases among adolescents in rural coastal Kenya. This suggests the urgent need for targeted multi-component health behavior interventions that simultaneously address all aspects of adolescent health and well-being, including the mental health needs of adolescents.

Download Full-text