Aerobic fitness and autonomic control are associated with executive attention in young college students

Obesity is a growing health problem among young people worldwide and is associated with gut conditions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between obesity, intestinal microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in young college students. 16S rRNA gene sequences, SCFA and LPS contents, and obesity status were analyzed in 68 young college students (20-25 years old). There were significant differences in intestinal microbial beta diversity among students with different body mass index (BMI). The abundance and proportion of Firmicutes and Bacteroides had no significant correlation with BMI. The contents of butyric acid and valeric acid in the feces of obese students were low, and the content of SCFAs had no significant correlation with BMI and LPS. The content of LPS in the feces of obese people was significantly higher than that in healthy people, and there was a significant positive correlation between LPS content and BMI. In general, there was a correlation between intestinal microbiota, SCFA, LPS, and BMI in young college students. Our results may enrich the understanding of the relationship between intestinal conditions and obesity and contribute to the study of obesity in young college students.

This study aimed to: (1) investigate the influence of a 2-weeks sprint interval training (SIT) program on aerobic capacity, cardiac autonomic control, and components of attention in young healthy university students; and (2) to ascertain whether training fidelity would influence these adaptations. One hundred and nine participants were divided into an experimental (EG) and control (CG) groups. The EG performed a SIT program that consisted of 6 sessions of 4 × 30 s “all-out” efforts on a cycle ergometer, interspersed with active rests of 4 min. The criterion for fidelity was achieving >90% of estimated maximum heart rate (HR) during sprint bouts. After analyses, the EG was divided into HIGH (n = 26) and LOW (n = 46) fidelity groups. Components of attention were assessed using the Attention Network Test (ANT). Aerobic capacity (VO2max) was estimated while the sum of skinfolds was determined. Autonomic control of HR was assessed by means of HR variability (HRV) and HR complexity at rest and during ANT. Both HIGH and LOW significantly increased aerobic capacity, vagal modulation before and during ANT, and executive control, and decreased body fatness after SIT (p < 0.05). However, only participants from HIGH showed an increase in HR complexity and accuracy in ANT when compared to LOW (p < 0.05). Two weeks of SIT improved executive control, body fatness, aerobic fitness, and autonomic control in university students with better results reported in those individuals who exhibited high fidelity.

Improving the young college students' national identity is crucial for ensuring social stability and fostering development during public health critical events such as COVID-19. Young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities can influence their national identity, and online participation in public health criticalevents may serve as a crucial role in shaping this intricate relationship. To investigate this possibility, the present study established an intermediary model to examine the impact of online participation in public health critical events on young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities and improvement of national identity. This cross-sectional survey study employed a convenience sampling method to investigate a total of 3041 young college students in China. The correlations between study variables were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. The mediation model was established using PROCESS Model 4 with 5000 bootstrap samples in SPSS. The bias-corrected bootstrap method provided statistical efficacy and identification interval estimation. Young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities (r=0.729, P<0.001) and online participation in public health critical events (r=0.609, P<0.001) were positively correlated with improvement of their national identity. The relationship between these two factors was partially mediated by online participation in public health critical events (Indirect effect estimate=0.196, P<0.001). Online participation in public health critical events played a mediating role in the association between college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities and the improvement of national identity. Our findings provide a novel intervention strategy for improving college students' national identity, which is to encourage their online participation in public health critical events.

BackgroundIn our series of investigations concerning the causes of seasonal change in fat accumulation in young university students, we could not find any contribution of seasonal variation in the ratio of carbohydrate and fat metabolism to that of body fat percentage in Japanese and Thai participants. After our previous study, we examined the effect of daily physical activity on body fat percentage to look for the major causes of seasonal change in fat accumulation in young university students.FindingsIn this study, we measured participants’ (young Japanese and Thai university students) daily physical activity by a uniaxial accelerometer in addition to the measurements of body fat percentage and body mass index by a bioelectrical impedance meter. We found that there was significant and moderate negative correlation between body fat percentage and daily step counts among Japanese but not Thai participants. We observed significant, moderate and positive correlations between the percentage of body fat and body mass index among Japanese and Thai participants.ConclusionsDaily physical activity plays an important role in the seasonal variation of body fat percentage of Japanese female students. Our present study also confirmed the importance of daily physical activity for controlling body mass index and for the prevention of obesity.

Associations between vicarious discrimination and mental health among young adult college students: Findings from the 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study

Aim: This study assesses the impact of political social motivation, trust in government, political efficacy, and personal motivation on political engagement behavior among young adult college students. Study design: Quasi-experimental One-shot Case Study Design. Methodology: Survey data of indicators of the five latent constructs was collected from college students. Exploratory principal component factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha test were performed to identify the factorial structure of the each of the political engagement scales. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed to estimate the overall model fit indices and the magnitude of effects of political social motivation, trust in government, political efficacy, and personal motivation on political engagement behavior among the young adult college students. Results: The analysis found that internal political efficacy had a large significant negative impact of political engagement behavior. External political efficacy had a large significant positive influence on political engagement behavior. Trust in government had a small positive insignificant effect on political engagement behavior. Political social motivation and personal motivation had no meaningful impact on political engagement behavior of the young adult college students. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings suggest that to sustain American democracy, proponents should focus on promoting internal and external political efficacy, and to a less extent trust in government, not on political motivation of young adult college students.

The central objectives in this paper aims at examining how young female university students are portrayed as participants of the financial struggle, exploring the representations of the experiences that young female university students encountered during the financial struggle whilst at the university and developing a model of Young Female University Students (YFUS) in the global village to present how they want to be as opposed to how their cultural norms want them to be. The focus of the paper is to investigate how American contemporary romance fiction represents young female university students in struggles for financial freedom. It examines whether young female university students are portrayed as agents to financial freedom due to poverty or simply vulnerable objects and victims in the tertiary environment. This investigation may benefit those who appreciate the art of literature and romantic fiction in particular, and to view young female university students not as objects, but as individuals who play a constructive role. The study may as well contribute to the body of knowledge on post-modernism, feminism, and transactional literature as the researcher explores the issue of young female university students as agencies to financial freedom which seems to have been overlooked in the past.

This study utilizes data from the 2017 National Dynamic Monitoring Survey of Floating Population to select young college students and establish a binary logistic regression model to explore the impact of social integration factors on the residency intention of young college students. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis is conducted on young college students in the intention stage. The study shows that 58.82% of young college students have a long-term residency intention. The higher the level of economic integration, institutional matching, cultural integration, social participation, and psychological identification, the greater the likelihood of their willingness to reside long-term. The key factor influencing the residency choice of young college students in the intention stage is the familys monthly income. In order to retain young college students with higher human capital and lay the foundation for high-quality and sustainable urban development, relevant policies should be implemented to increase their income, enhance job stability, and provide them with humanistic care and opportunities for social participation.

The aim of the study was to evaluate behaviors related to cardiovascular disease among young Brazilian college students. Ideal health behaviors index, proposed by American Heart Association, includes (1) body mass index (BMI) &lt;25 kg/m2; (2) not current smoker; (3) physical activity at goal (150 min/wk moderate or 75 min/wk vigorous or combination); (4) 4–5 diet goals met (recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables, fish, sodium, sweets/sugar‐sweetened beverages and whole grains). Weight, height and blood pressure (after 10 minutes of rest) were measured. Subjects answered a food questionnaire and the short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire under supervision. Healthy young college students (n=260; 195 female; 19±2 years‐old; 60.7±12.0 kg; systolic blood pressure: 111±11 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure: 71±10 mmHg) were evaluated. Ideal BMI (&lt;25 kg/m2) was found in 81.5% of volunteers; 14.6% were classified as overweight and 3.8% obese. Only four volunteers were smokers. Physical activity goal was achieved by 25.8%. Diet results showed that only 2.3% achieved the five goals. Less adherence was found for fish consumption (at least twice/week) and sweets (≤450 kcal/week); p&lt;0.05. When considering the ideal health behavior, i.e. reaching the four components goals, only 3.5% students achieved. Behaviors related to risk of cardiovascular disease begin in early life. Continuous evaluation is critical to increase the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health in middle aged and older adults.Supported by Finatec and DPP/UnB.

To describe the steps that led to the formulation of a matrix of critical processes as an experience of public health nursing as part of reflections about coping with violence against and between young university students. Mixed methods study. During the quantitative step, a descriptive, retrospective, time series study was carried out with data available in the Brazilian Information System for Notifiable Diseases, which recorded 854 cases of violence against and between young university students, whose ages ranged from 18 to 29 years old, reported in the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2009 and 2015. 'The qualitative step focused on producing a descriptive study with 68 university students by applying content analysis, supported by the software webQDA. The formulated matrix of critical processes showed protection and attrition processes, as well as weaknesses in their domains and dimensions, which allowed reflection on the interventions necessary to transform the objective reality of violence against and between young university students in the state of Paraná. Formulating the matrix of critical processes as an experience of reflection about coping with different types of violence allowed the application of theoretical and practical dialogue in a dialect of contraries, a principle that is foundational in public health nursing practice.

Less than 50% of adults aged 18-30 years report meeting the current guidelines for physical activity (PA), with the steepest declines occurring in young adulthood. Theory-based psychosocial factors have been proposed to identify possible modifiable psychological barriers to PA. Purpose: To explore the relation between PA and key psychosocial determinants: 1) motivation (MO); 2) self-ef- ficacy (SE); 3) social support (SS); 4) exercise enjoyment (EE); and 5) body image (BI) in young adult college students. A secondary aim was to examine whether young adult females and males differ in psychosocial determinants of PA. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Fifty-five females (18.7±0.7 yrs) and 35 males (18.5±0.6 yrs) participated. Weekly minutes of hard PA, very hard PA, and total weekly minutes of PA (7-Day PA Recall) served as the dependent variables. Determinant variables were assessed using standardized questionnaires. Results: For females, SE, EE, MO, SS from friends, and BI were correlated (p&lt;0.05) to total weekly minutes of PA. The combination of EE, MO, SS, and BI explained nearly 43% of the variance in total weekly minutes of PA (R2=0.426, F(4,50)=9.294, p&lt;0.001). For males, EE was correlated (p&lt;0.05) to minutes of hard PA, minutes of very hard PA, and total weekly minutes of PA. A stepwise multiple regression analysis resulted in EE being the only determinant selected for the model (R2=0.174, F(1,33)=6.949, p=0.013). Conclusion: EE was a significant psychosocial determinant of PA among young adult male and female college students. Other psychosocial determinants of PA in females include MO, SS, and BI. These psychosocial variables deserve consideration when designing future behavioral interventions to increase PA in young adult college students.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to better understand why college students in the USA eat on-campus. Also, this research aims to compare highly satisfied and low satisfied groups in terms of their on-campus dining experiences and behaviors and to understand what values college students are currently satisfied with and what they expect from their on-campus dining. Design – A survey design was implemented in this study. The sample for this research study is any college students who have eaten at on-campus dining facilities within the last 3 months. Methodology – Cluster analysis, correlation, and t-test were utilized for data analysis. The twostep clusters method was used to cluster groups based on the mean values of DINESERV. Approach – The validity of DINESERV for on-campus dining settings was examined, as well as examining the behavior and perception of Generation Y and Z on on-campus dining. Findings – In both clusters, Assurance was the factor with the highest correlation coefficient value, while Tangible ranked last among the five DINESERV factors. The other dimensions of DINESERV were also very important to the young college students, as indicated by the high correlation coefficients. Originality of the research – This research examines the validity of DINESERV in on-campus dining settings in the United States. The uniqueness of this study lies in the sample: young college students, Generation Y and Z.

Objective To explore stressors among young university students. Participants Twenty-nine 18- to 25-year-old university students. Method Four focus group discussions (n = 29) were conducted to explore mental health and stressors among domestic and international university students. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify emerging themes and relationships. Results Five primary stressors emerged from the data: Balance, Interpersonal Relationships, Future Prospects, Performance Pressure and Financial Issues and Employment. Although many distinct relationships were identified between themes, “Balance” affected and influenced most other stressors. Conclusions Five stressors were identified, most of which related to a lack of balance and time-management. Too many competing commitments and difficulty prioritizing were key influences. Interventions and policy to address stressors in students may reduce student psychological stress. Universities can provide support for students to prioritize commitments, provide flexible study opportunities and offer financial guidance.

The business figures linked to the economy of big companies have shown that large technology platforms are some of the few major beneficiaries of the global economic crisis generated by COVID-19. The study compares biannual results of digital consumption and links user monitoring methods with the realization of qualitative focus groups. It analyses the evolution of the consumption of digital tools (mainly social media) by young university students in Spain between 2019 and 2021. The results of the comparative study show a 36% increase in the time spent using digital applications between the two years studied, as well as a greater concentration of time spent on a few platforms. The qualitative results indicate a self-declaration of addictive dependence on the use of social media; an increasing trend in declaring that youngsters have no interest in stopping their use of these platforms, and a justification that technology companies may not pay the user for the content and data they subsequently use to generate revenue in exchange for personal privacy. This behaviour describes the consolidation of the attention economy concept, which denotates a discursive appropriation of the university students who justify a part of the economic, social, and cultural domination that the technological giants carry out.

Risky alcohol consumption behaviours remain commonplace, representing a major threat to health and safety, and are especially evidenced by young university students. Consequently, new interventions targeting this high-risk group are required. The current study investigated young male university students' experiences of a personalised, appearance-based, facial morphing, safer drinking intervention. Twenty-five male student participants were recruited, aged 18-34 years. Inductive thematic analysis of data gathered whilst participants were immersed in the intervention, and thereby exposed to alcohol-aged images of their own faces, produced four primary themes: alcohol as a threat to appearance and health, motivations to protect appearance, motivational aspects of the intervention, and proposed improvements and applications. The results of the current study suggested that participants expressed intentions towards healthier consumption/maintenance of already non-risky intake, supporting the potential of the facial-morphing appearance-based approach to address risky alcohol consumption, even in high-risk groups.