scholarly journals Is There an Association between Health Risk Behaviours and Academic Achievement among University Students?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8314
Author(s):  
Catriona Kar Yuen Ong ◽  
Melinda J. Hutchesson ◽  
Amanda J. Patterson ◽  
Megan C. Whatnall
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Health Risk Behaviours

University students have high rates of health risk behaviours, and these may be predictive of academic success. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between individual and multiple health risk behaviours and academic achievement in a sample of Australian university students. Data from the University of Newcastle Student Healthy Lifestyle Survey 2019 were used. Health risk behaviours (diet, physical activity, sitting time, sleep, alcohol consumption, smoking) were assessed, and total number of risk factors calculated. Academic achievement was assessed using self-reported grade point average (GPA). The association between health risk behaviours and GPA was explored using linear regression, adjusted for socio-demographic and student characteristics. The sample included 1543 students (mean age 25.0 ± 7.9 years, 70.6% female). Lower GPA was associated with not meeting fruit consumption recommendations (β = −0.203), consuming >1 cup of soft drink/week (β = −0.307), having takeaway foods ≥1 time/week (β = −0.130), not consuming breakfast daily (β = −0.261), not meeting sleep recommendations (β = −0.163), exceeding single occasion alcohol consumption risk (β = −0.277), smoking (β = −0.393), and having a higher number of risk factors (β = −0.105). This study identified modest associations between GPA and health risk behaviours, suggesting that further research is warranted into whether strategies to improve university students’ health could modestly improve their academic achievement.

scholarly journals Saudi Arabian university students’ perceptions of health risk behaviours

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-308
Author(s):  
Saad Zafir Alshehri ◽  
Jenny Byrne ◽  
Marcus Grace
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Saudi Arabian ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Risk Behaviours ◽  
Saudi Arabian Students ◽  
Specific Health

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why Saudi Arabian students engage in specific health risk behaviours (HRBs), and if there are gender differences. Design/methodology/approach In order to find out the situation regarding university students in Saudi Arabia, quantitative data were collected by administering questionnaires to 722 respondents, and qualitative data were collected using a series of interviews with 17 students. Findings The findings of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study suggest that lifestyle and personal factors, as well as economic, social, policy and other aspects of the environment played a significant role in influencing students’ HRBs. Recommendations for mitigating HRBs among these students and other youth in the Saudi Arabian context are provided. Originality/value This paper addresses an important gap in the research on HRBs among university students from the perspectives of students.

scholarly journals The physical health of people with severe mental illness in Bangladesh and Pakistan: A cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Antonio Zavala ◽  
Asiful Haidar ◽  
Krishna Prasad-Muliyala ◽  
Faiza Aslam ◽  
Rumana Huque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Severe Mental Illness ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Risk Behaviours

Abstract BackgroundPeople with severe mental illness (SMI) die earlier than the general population, primarily due to physical disorders. There is limited information on physical illnesses and health-risk behaviours in people with SMI in low and middle-income countries.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey in adults with SMI attending specialist mental health services in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Data were collected on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), their risk factors, health-risk behaviours, treatments and health risk modification advice (using questions from the WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance of NCDs (STEPS)) and on common mental disorders, health-related quality of life and infectious diseases. We performed a descriptive analysis, and compared weighted prevalence for these variables in our survey with prevalence for the general population in the STEPS reports from Bangladesh and Pakistan.ResultsWe recruited 2,344 participants with bipolar disorder (36.7%), non-affective psychosis (42.2%), and depression with psychosis (21.1%). Eight percent had diabetes, 24.7% hypertension and 3.1% tuberculosis. 43.4% were overweight or obese, and half had hypercholesterolemia. Most participants with diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were previously undiagnosed; of those diagnosed only around half were receiving treatment. Fifty-four percent of men and 17.2% of women used tobacco; 46.9% and 87.1% did not meet WHO recommendations for physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake respectively. Compared with the general population, people with SMI were more likely to have diabetes (O.R.=1.56,95%C.I.=1.30 to 1.88 Bangladesh), hypercholesterolemia (O.R.=2.35,95%C.I.=2.08 to 2.65 Bangladesh) and overweight or obesity (O.R.=1.97, 95%C.I.=1.75 to 2.22 Bangladesh; O.R.=1.61,95%C.I.=1.40 to 1.86 Pakistan). They were less likely to receive tobacco cessation (O.R.=0.33,95%C.I.=0.26 to 0.42 Bangladesh; O.R.=0.42,95%C.I.=0.31 to 0.55 Pakistan), and weight management advice (O.R.=0.51,95%C.I.=0.41 to 0.63 Bangladesh; and O.R.=0.65,95%C.I.=0.51 to 0.82 Pakistan).ConclusionDespite the high prevalence we found significant gaps in detection, prevention and treatment of NCDs and their risk factors in people with SMI.RegistrationISRCTN88485933; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN88485933

scholarly journals Spirituality as a determinant of health risk behaviour among black university students in Limpopo, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
S. Makhubela ◽  
S. Mashegoane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Health Risk Behaviour ◽  
Health Risk Behaviours ◽  
Almost All

Data from 333 Black university students in Limpopo, South Africa were used to investigate the association between the spirituality dimensions of religious and existential wellbeing (RWB and EWB) and health risk behaviours. The mean scores of almost all health risk behaviours, with the exception of the daily eating of healthy foods, varied according to the levels of RWB (p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, with regards to levels of EWB, the analysis of physical activity produced a gender by EWB interaction only, and the results pertaining to the drinking of alcoholic beverages were marginal (p ≤ 0.10). There was a marginal gender by EWB effect for cigarette and marijuana use (p ≤ 0.10), with a 0.019 effect size (partial eta squared) for each analysis, and a gender effect for both (p ≤ 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). Effectively, there were no instances of statistically significant main effect of EWB (p > 0.05). Apparently, the type or dimensionality of spirituality used is important, and future studies should investigate varied measures of the construct to establish its relationship with health risk behaviour.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document