The Impact of Physical Activity and Sleep on Blood Pressure in College Students

Abstract

College is a time when many health habits, both physical and behavioral, start to form that will remain throughout one’s adult life (Kemper & Welsh, 2010). Excessive sedentary behavior is common among college-age students and can negatively impact cardiovascular health (Lepp, Barkley, Sanders, Rebold, & Gates, 2013). PURPOSE: Data for this analysis came from the Albion College Health Study, the purpose of which was to examine a variety of physical and behavioral characteristics of college students to better understand ways in which interventions and programming could be better tailored to meet the needs of this population. METHODS: A total of 64 Albion College students (39 males, 25 females) participated in the study. Height, weight, physical activity patterns, sedentary behavior, knowledge of physical activity and nutrition guidelines, the amount of time spent sleeping, blood pressure, waist circumference, and smoking were measured. RESULTS: Only 51.6% of participants were physically active five or more days per week, while 54.7% were considered normal weight and 43.8% were categorized as overweight or obese by BMI. Only 33.8% of participants averaged eight or more hours of sleep per night. 23.4% of participants were pre-hypertensive. There was a significant interaction between physical activity and BMI on weekend sleep (p=0.042) and total hours of sleep per week (p=0.022). Additionally, there was a significant interaction between physical activity and sleep on systolic blood pressure (p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Being physically activity, getting the proper amount of sleep, and maintaining a healthy body mass index should be the focus of any interventions or educational programs aimed at improving the health of college students.