Relationships between Physical Activity and other Health-Related Behaviors in a Representative Sample of U.S. College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity and other health-related behaviors among a representative sample of U.S. college students. Data from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed to explore the associations between high and low levels of physical activity and cigarette smoking, binge drinking, cocaine use, marijuana use, other illegal drug use, physical fighting, seatbelt use, fruit and vegetable consumption, number of sexual partners, suicide ideation, and body mass index. We calculated descriptive statistics, crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and used logistic regression models to determine adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% CIs. Cigarette smoking (AOR = 1.54; CI = 1.13, 2.10), inconsistent seatbelt use (AOR – 1.71; CI = 1.14, 2.55), and inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (AOR = 4.24; CI – 2.94, 6.13) were significantly associated with low levels of physical activity among college students after controlling for age, sex, and race. Although additional studies are needed, the strong association between physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption indicates that health promotion professionals should consider designing interventions that target both of these behaviors when programming for college students.