Abstract
BackgroundIt is important to understand health-risk behaviours among young adults, as modifications in this can enhance and lessen the risk of chronic illness later in life. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of a broad range of health-risk behaviours among post-secondary students from across Canada, and to determine whether institutional variability exists in the prevalence of these behaviours.MethodsData were collected from 8,182 undergraduate students enrolled in one of eight Canadian post-secondary institutions during the fall or spring of 2009, using the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). The NCHA consists of 60 questions, assessing student health status and engagement in various health behaviours.ResultsFindings show relatively low prevalence in smoking (13.1%) marijuana (17.5%) or other illicit drug use (3.5%), and risky sexual behaviour (12%). Binge drinking, however, was much higher, with nearly 60% of students consuming more than 5 alcoholic drinks in a single occasion during the past 15 days. Similarly, prevalence rates for physical inactivity (72.2%), inadequate sleep (75.6%) and low fruit and vegetable intake (88.0%) were all high among the student population. Results also found that students in smaller institutions exhibited higher rates of inactivity, binge drinking, and marijuana and illicit drug use compared to institutions having a larger student body.ConclusionOverall, findings point to the need for more concentrated health promotion campaigns, specifically targeting sleep, fruit and vegetables intake, and greater participation in physical activity. Given evidence of some institutional variability, future efforts are warranted in exploring how best to increase institutional commitment for collecting surveillance data on Canadian post-secondary students.
Highlights
It is important to understand health-risk behaviours among young adults, as modifications in this can enhance and lessen the risk of chronic illness later in life
The results indicate that physical inactivity, binge drinking, marijuana and other illicit drug use, and risky sexual behaviours were all significantly higher among students on smaller campuses
There has been a public health focus to reduce “risky health behaviours”, with particular interest directed towards risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases [24]
Summary
It is important to understand health-risk behaviours among young adults, as modifications in this can enhance and lessen the risk of chronic illness later in life. Young adults continue to engage in high rates of health-risk behaviours [1,2]. Many risk factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, inadequate nutritional status, and low levels of physical activity have direct behavioural links to chronic disease, yet are amenable to change. Modification of these health-risk behaviours can Evidence suggests that initiation of diseases such as atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetes related to physical inactivity, is more frequently emerging in the second and third decades of life [4]. There is growing recognition that postsecondary students should be a target population for health promotion efforts, including suggestions that their health is an 'important and neglected public health problem’ [1,7,8]
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