Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the changes of health behaviors in college students as they transition through their freshman year. The author surveyed 167 freshmen, ages 18 to 25, to examine the effects of physical activity on the stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption in college freshmen. The participant’s responses were at baseline to 3-month outcome and 3-month to 6-month outcome. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II questionnaire and the Daily Drinking Questionnaire examined the health behaviors and drinking consumption. Students with moderate physical activity had nearly half the odds of better stress management as compared with students with higher physical activity. However, this result was not statistically significant, OR = 0.49, 95% CI = [0.24, 1.01], and OR = 0.52, 95% CI = [0.25, 1.29]. Few studies have evaluated physical activity and the health behaviors of stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption in college students. This study can provide further understanding of health promotion behaviors in college students.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to assess the changes of health behaviors in college students as they transition through their freshman year
Binge drinking among college students is at an all-time high: 66% of college students engage in alcohol use; 44% of these students binge drink with binge drinking defined as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings the blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 or above (Beets, Flay, Vuchinich, Acock, & Snyder, 2009; Kuntsche, Knibble, Gmel, & Engels, 2005; The National Institute of Alcohol and Alcoholism [NIAA], 2002)
The authors suggest that the positive association between physical activity and alcohol consumption may have been due to students who are selecting environments and activities that are compatible with substance use (Pender, 1975)
Summary
The aim of this study was to assess the changes of health behaviors in college students as they transition through their freshman year. Few studies have evaluated physical activity and the health behaviors of stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption in college students. Engaging in regular physical activity improves psychosocial health and decreases stress (Economos, Hildebrant, & Hyatt, 2008) This is important for college freshman, who are at increased risk of developing unhealthy behaviors with the transition into a new environment. One study that evaluated changes in the physical activity of female freshman found that in the transition from home to college, physical activity levels decreased (Butler, 2004) This is alarming because research has shown that students develop their health behaviors in college. One study that evaluated a diverse sample of 841 students found that males and females who engaged in regular physical activity had lower levels of stress at all ages (Ah, Ngamvitroj, Park, & Kang, 2004). The model focuses on three areas: individual characteristics and experiences, behavior specific cognitions, as well as behavioral outcomes
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