College Health Risk Behavior Survey Research Articles

Impacto do estresse na qualidade de vida e condutas de saúde de residentes multiprofissionais

O estresse é resultado da relação entre o indivíduo e seu ambiente produtivo interferindo na capacidade profissional e na qualidade de vida. O presente estudo objetivou analisar o impacto do estresse na qualidade de vida e condutas de saúde de residentes multiprofissionais de um hospital universitário. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, quantitativo, realizado junto a totalidade de residentes multiprofissionais em saúde (RMS) (n=98) de um hospital de ensino. Utilizou-se questionários validados: WHOQOL-BREF, avaliando-se a qualidade de vida; National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, para avaliar condutas de saúde e o ‘Inventário de Sintomas de Stress para Adultos de Lipp’ para avaliação do estresse. Aplicou-se testes t de student, qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher, obtendo-se que a maioria (n=63; 64%) dos RMS não apresentou nenhum sinal de estresse e 46% (n=35) algum nível de estresse, sendo 85% na fase resistência. Verificou-se que os RMS com estresse apresentaram QV significativamente menor nos domínios físico, psicológico meio ambiente e QV global (p0,05). Às condutas de saúde, houve associação de estresse apenas com tentativa de suicídio (p=0,0005), as demais condutas: uso do tabaco, comportamento alimentar, prática de atividade física, uso do álcool e outras drogas, comportamento sexual, segurança no trânsito e comportamentos relacionados à violência, não apresentaram associação (p0,05). Conclui-se que a queda na qualidade de vida dos RMS com estresse é preocupante, e mesmo com poucas mudanças de condutas de saúde com a exposição ao estresse entre os investigados, defende-se a relevância e a gravidade do achado em relação à variável tentativa de suicídio.

Blood Pressure, Emotional Dampening, and Risk Behavior: Implications for Hypertension Development.

Elevated resting blood pressure (BP) is associated with risk for hypertension and emotional dampening, including reduced responses to emotionally meaningful stimuli. Perception of threat is a critical motivator in avoidance of risky health-damaging behavior. We hypothesize that BP-associated dampening of threat appraisal may increase risk-taking behavior. We measured resting BP, perception of affect, and risk behavior in 92 healthy women (n = 49) and men (n = 43) recruited from university students and staff as well as members of the surrounding community. Mean (SE) age for the sample was 21.5 (4.3) year. BP was measured using an automated BP monitor, and risk behavior was assessed with a modified National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. We also measured recognition of affect using the Perception of Affect Task (PAT). Risk-taking behavior was positively correlated with both systolic (r(89) = .278, p = .008) and diastolic BP (r(89) = .309, p < .003). Regression analyses indicated that the association between risk-taking behavior and BP was not mediated by PAT scores. Results show that persons with higher resting BP levels report increased risk-taking behavior. PAT scores, while correlated with systolic BP, did not mediate the relationship between BP and risk. The relationship between BP and risk behavior reflects the potential involvement of central nervous system regulation of both BP and emotional responsivity, and its relationship to health-damaging behavior and risk for hypertension.

A influência da posição acadêmica sobre condutas de saúde em universitários

Poucos estudos têm examinado as condutas de saúde da população universitária em sua totalidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência da posição acadêmica, considerando estudantes de graduação e pós-graduação, sobre a aquisição de condutas de saúde. A amostra foi composta por 223 graduandos e 67 pós-graduandos, ambos concluintes dos cursos de Odontologia, Farmácia, Medicina, Educação Física, Enfermagem e Ciências Biológicas de uma universidade pública da região Sul do Brasil. Utilizou-se um instrumento para a coleta de dados demográficos e o questionário autoaplicável National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS), para a avaliação das dimensões segurança no trânsito e violência, consumo de tabaco e álcool, comportamento sexual e alimentação, atividade física e peso. Observou-se que a posição acadêmica não exerceu papel significativo na aquisição de condutas inadequadas, estando estas mais relacionadas com o perfil demográfico dos indivíduos. Estudantes mais jovens, do gênero masculino e solteiros apresentaram maior prevalência de hábitos considerados prejudiciais à saúde, principalmente relacionados ao consumo de bebida alcoólica e ao envolvimento em agressão física. Estudantes mulheres apresentaram aquisição significativa de métodos inapropriados para o controle do peso corporal. Os resultados encontrados refletem a importância da efetivação de políticas que visem à intervenção e prevenção de comportamentos prejudiciais à saúde entre universitários, considerando-se o universo de graduandos e pós-graduandos.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY TRAITS AND RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS

Objective : This study was designed for survey of relationship between personality traits and risk behaviors among college students in Tehran. For this purpose 8 domains of risk behaviors were studied: unsafe behaviors, violence, suicide, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, substance abuse, unhealthy nutrition and physical inactivity. Method : this research is a correlation study with prediction method. Subjects were 914 college students with mean of age 23.13 that were students in bachelor or master grades in one of universities in Tehran. They were selected through cluster sampling. For collecting data Big 5 personality Scale (Goldberg, 1999) and risk behaviors questionnaire (National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, 2007) were used. Findings: There is a significant correlation between personality variables and risk behaviors. Consciousness, Emotional Stability, and Agreeableness are important variable in prediction of risk behaviors. This regression model can explain 30% of total variance of risk behaviors score. P-value was lower than 0/05. Conclusion: The results of this research indicated that personality variables are important etiological factors in youth risk behaviors. Likewise, since personality traits are constant and related to childhood, interventions for risk behaviors prevention should be started from childhood in the family.

Prevalência de comportamentos de risco em adulto jovem e universitário

Objetivo Conhecer a prevalência de comportamentos de risco em adulto jovem e universitário.Métodos Estudo transversal com 210 universitários com idades entre 18 a 24 anos. O instrumento de pesquisa foi um questionário validado National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. Para análise dos dados, utilizaram-se estatística descritiva, análise bivariada e coeficientes de regressão logística.Resultados Dentre os estudantes, 40% consumiram álcool, 25% apresentaram excesso de peso, 19% utilizaram motocicletas para transporte e 6% relataram tentativa de suicídio. Consumo de álcool, excesso de peso e prática de atividades esportivas associaram-se aos homens. Tentativa de suicídio e hábitos alimentares mais saudáveis associaram-se às mulheres.Conclusão Os participantes adotaram comportamentos que colocaram a saúde em risco, sendo essa atitude mais frequentes nos homens. O consumo de álcool foi o comportamento de risco mais prevalente nessa população.

Participation in sports teams and suicidal behavior: an analysis of the 1995 national college health risk behavior survey.

A 1995 data set from a survey of college students carried out by the Centers for Disease Control was examined to explore whether participation in sports was associated with recent suicidal behavior. Overall, participation in college sports was associated with a reduced incidence of suicidal ideation in the past year, but had no association with attempted suicide in the past year. However, this protective effect was found for European American students, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans, but not for African Americans, and was stronger for male students than for female students.

Risky Business in Student Dorms: Sexual Health and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention Programming Imperative for College Campuses

Copyright: © 2013 Reel JJ, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Not only do college students engage in high rates of risky sexual behaviors (American College Health Association, 2010), but multiple studies e.g. [1] have shown that college students are vulnerable for developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). For example [1] surveyed 688 college students and found that 77% of students were sexually experienced. Other studies have found that between 50% and 80% of college students are sexually active [1,2] with 25% of female students and 60% of male students engaging in casual sex [1,2]. Furthermore, the 2003 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey found that 34% of college students reported having 6 or more sex partners in their lifetime, and only 30% of students reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse [1]. The National College Health Assessment (NCHA) [3] also found low rates of consistent condom use. Alarmingly, less than half of the sexually active students responded that they “always or mostly” used condoms during sexual intercourse (American College of Health Association [4].

The impact of physical activity on body weight and fat gains during the first 3 years of college

Over two-thirds of students gain weight and body fat during college, especially during the freshman year. This study examined whether participation in physical activity during the first 3 years of college was associated with favorable changes in body weight and percent body fat. Participants included 535 college students (345 females, 190 males). Height and weight (assessed by standard techniques) and body fat (assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis) were obtained at the beginning of fall semester and at the end of spring semester of each year; in addition during the first 2 years, assessments were also conducted at the end of fall semester for a total of eight assessments between 2007 and 2010. Physical activity participation was self-reported using a questionnaire that included a subset of questions from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. While both males and females exhibited significant increases in weight and percent body fat over the 3-year period; for the females, participation in strength training was associated with loss of weight and percent body fat. The results of this study emphasize the benefits of physical activity, especially strength training, for college females as a means to reduce or prevent body weight and fat gains during the first 3 years of college.

Orientação de vida e comportamentos de risco para a saúde em universitários: uma análise sob o olhar da psicologia positiva

The aim of this study was to analyze college students’ life orientation in terms of risk behaviors to health. 403 Physical Education students took part in the project, at a Northwestern University of Paraná. The instruments used were the Life Orientation Test, the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey and a form with demographic data. For data analysis, we applied the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U (P&lt;0,05). The results showed that: more optimistic students have a self-perception as being healthy individuals (P=0,001); live with a spouse (P=0,022); had sexual intercourse (P=0,001); used seat belts in the front seat (P=0,044) and in the back seat (P=0,041); did not ride with a drunk driver (P=0,015); did not carry a gun (P=0,003); were not involved in fights (P=0,010); did not consider a suicide attempt (P=0,004) and ate salad (P=0,005). We conclude that optimistic students adopt preventive and healthier behaviors, and establish bonds.

Alcohol, Drugs, and Links to Sexual Risk Behaviors among a Sample of Virginia College Students

This project was significant in that it administered the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (NCHRBS), a health risk assessment, to a sample of students at three public universities in Virginia. Virginia was never included in the original or subsequent nationwide assessments using this instrument. This health risk assessment is comprehensive, easy to administer, and free. The NCHRBS assesses risk behaviors in six categories including: (1) behaviors that contribute to unintentional and intentional injuries; (2) tobacco use; (3) alcohol and other drug use; (4) sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and STDs, including the HIV infection; (5) unhealthy dietary behaviors; and (6) physical inactivity. This article focuses on student responses to questions about alcohol and other drugs and sexual behaviors linked to the use of these substances. It provided baseline data on health risk behaviors of college students which can help determine wellness/health education course objectives and health promotion programming and services provided to the students within the universities. In addition, this project provided protocol to expand use of the survey statewide.

Differences in Health-Related Behaviors and Body Mass Index Risk Categories in African American Women in College

ObjectiveTo determine if differences in health-related behaviors (diet and physical activity) exist in African American college women based on body mass index (BMI) risk categories. MethodsOne hundred eighty-six African American women (age, 19.5 ± 2.5 y) in college were surveyed using the modified National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. Data regarding demographics, weight loss history/methods, food choices, and physical activity frequency were compared for obese (BMI >30, n = 30), overweight (25 < BMI < 30, n = 45), and normal-weight (BMI <25, n = 111) groups. Data were analyzed using multiple 2-way analyses of variance. ResultsNo differences in food choices were determined between the groups. The overweight and obese groups were more likely than the normal-weight group to have used healthy modalities such as diet and/or exercise to try to lose weight instead of unhealthy methods such as laxatives and diet pills. The overweight group reported more vigorous aerobic training and strength training workouts than the normal-weight group. ConclusionsFood selection and activity frequency are not enough to differentiate African American women in different BMI categories. Other factors may contribute to obesity such as food portion sizes, genetics, and/or intensity of physical activities.

Relationships between aggression, depression, and alcohol, tobacco: Implications for healthcare providers in student health

To determine the prevalence of aggression, depression, and at-risk health behaviors in a random sample of undergraduate college students and to explore the relationship between these variables. The study survey was sent to 2500 undergraduate students; 428 participated, responding to items from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey about alcohol, drug and tobacco, violence and aggression, the Beck Depression Inventory II, and items adapted from the Overt Aggression Scale. Almost one third of the sample reported cigarette smoking, 22% moderate depression, 81% drink alcohol, with 58% drinking more than five drinks at least once in the last month. Reports of verbal and physical aggression were also common. Moderate depression was related to cigarette smoking, physical, and verbal aggression, but not to heavy alcohol use. An understanding of these relationships can be utilized to screen and intervene with students at risk. The results call for increased screening and treatment of depression in college students, and suggest that students with aggressive behaviors are at the highest risk for depression, and should be a group to receive specific attention for screening.

Validação do National College Health Risk Behavior Survey para utilização com universitários brasileiros

The objective of this article is to translate, to adapt and to validate the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey to apply at Brazilian college students. 208 college students from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and University of Pernambuco (UPE) participated in the study. The validation was carried through in five stages: (1) translation; (2) retrotranslation; (3) correction and semantic adaptation (cultural adaptation); (4) face validation; (5) test-retest. Adaptations were done to deal with any semantic disagreements found between translation and retrotranslation. After face validation, the questionnaire was reduced from 96 to 52 questions. From the 11 items analyzed, the majority presented good and perfect Kappa: security and violence (Kappa=0.89); suicide (Kappa=1.00); use of the tobacco (Kappa=0.90); drinking consumption (Kappa=0.78); cocaine and other drugs consumption (Kappa=0.70); sexual behavior (Kappa=0,88) and corporal weight (Kappa=0.89). Only the item about feeding presented weak Inter-examiner Kappa (Kappa = 0.26) and the topic on health information presented moderate Kappa (Kappa=0.56). The average Kappa for all items was good (0.76). The instrument may be considered validated in the Portuguese language in Brazil with acceptable reproducibility.

大学生の身体活動・運動実践者割合および健康関心，自覚的健康状態，健康行動との関連

This study assessed physical activity and exercise levels, and their relationship with selected health factors such as health concerns, self-assessed health status, and health behavior, in college students. A cross-sectional self-reported questionnaire based on the widely used CDC/ACSM and ACSM guidelines were used for this purpose. The questionnaire survey was conducted among 3,596 college freshmen (mean age, 18.5±0.7 years). The survey collected data on physical activity and exercise levels and certain factors related to health, such as concern about health, overall health status, rest, stress, breakfast, and nutritional balance. The study participants were divided into four groups based on the results of the survey: DN (did not meet the CDC/ACSM and ACSM criteria; comprising 46.7% of the males and 61.3% of the females); M (met the CDC/ACSM criteria; 29.1% of the males and 25.7% of the females); V (met the ACSM criteria; 16.4% of the males and 7.8% of the females); MV (met both the CDC/ACSM and ACSM criteria; 7.8% of the males and 5.2% of the females). Compared with the results of the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey in the United States, in 1995, the percentage of participants in the V group in this survey was lower, whereas that in the M group was higher. For the DN group, it is assumed that the percentages recorded in this survey were lower than those in the United States survey. Most people in the DN group—931 (87.7%) of 1,061 males, and 686 (84.7%) of 810 females—reported that they will begin physical activity or exercise, or are already active; however these group members did not meet the guidelines. For males, scores reflecting concerns about health, overall condition, breakfast, and nutritional balance were higher in the DM group than in the DN group; for females, these scores were higher in the DM group than in the DN group. Additional research is required to ascertain methods for improving the physical activity and exercise habits of college students.

A Comparison of the Sexual Risk Behaviors of Asian American and Pacifc Islander College Students and Their Peers

Background: Asian American and Pacifc Islanders (AAPIs) have been neglected in health research. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to (1) describe the sexual risk behaviors of a sample of AAPI community college students using questions from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, and (2) to compare the sexual risk behaviors of AAPI study participants (n=138) to their non-Asian peers (n=328). Methods: Comparisons were made between AAPI and non-Asian study participants using a z-test. Results: AAPI study participants were significantly more likely than their non-Asian peers to practice abstinence, limit their number of sexual partners, and use condoms. An unexpected finding was that AAPI participants were more likely to report a history of a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Discussion: Research suggests that mother-daughter sexual communication during adolescence is a crucial prerequisite to the practice of safer sex behaviors. A lack of sexual communication with parents during childhood may contribute to higher rates of STDs later in life. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators who work with parents, adolescents, and young adults should include effective sexual communication skills in health promotion programs designed to prevent STDs and unintended pregnancy.

An Investigation of Parent/Child Communication About Sexuality

ABSTRACT This study investigated the communication and initial sexuality education between parents and children as it relates to later sexual activity. The study asked 192 undergraduate college students from a Midwestern state university their perceptions about past communication with their parents regarding sexuality. The students completed a 180-item survey instrument, which consisted of questions from the Parent-Child Closeness Scale (PCC) (Buchanan, Maccoby, & Dornbusch, 1991), the Sexual Communication Scale (SCS) (Somers & Canivez, 2003), and the 1998 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998). Researchers investigated whether the frequency and breadth of communication from the parent to the child led to a later onset of sexual behavior. Consistent with previous research, few parents were perceived as proficiently performing the role of sex educator for their child/children. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

Estudo comparativo de condutas de saúde entre universitários no início e no final do curso

To analyze differences in health behavior among students studying health related subjects in public universities, between the beginning and end of their courses. The study sample comprised 735 students in health sciences at the public universities in Pernambuco state (Northeastern Brazil) in 2006. The data were collected by means of the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey that had been validated previously for use among university students. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used. The chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used to analyze associations. Results were considered to be significant for p<0.05. The majority (69.5%) of students were female. Fewer students were found to be living with their parents or a guardian by the end of the course. However there were no significant differences for violent behavior, related to weight and physical activity, nor for most behavior relating to traffic safety and food intake. The consumption of alcohol (68.8% vs. 83.3%), tobacco (40.7% vs. 52.5%) and inhalants (10.2% vs. 21.9%) and sexual practices (62.5% vs. 85.0%) were more frequent by the end of the course, with statistically significant differences. In general, health behaviors did not differ significantly between students at the beginning and end of graduate courses in health sciences.

BMI does not Predict Healthy-Behavior in African-American Women in College

Obesity is a major health concern in the United States, and major disparities in the incidence of obesity and obesity-related diseases exist between African-Americans (AA) and Non-African-Americans (NA). Understanding behavior differences in those who are obese and not obese would be valuable in targeting the most significant contributor to obesity. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare AA students who were obese (OB) to those who were non-obese (NO) in regard to healthy behaviors. Some behaviors that were compared were food selection patterns (i.e.: number of fruits or vegetables eaten in a day) and activity levels (i.e.: number of strength training workouts performed in a week). METHODS: 122 AA women (mean age = 19.2±3.73 yrs) who were currently enrolled in undergraduate study were surveyed using the College Health-Risk Behavior Survey. They were categorized into groups based on BMI scores. Those with BMI of 30 or more were placed into the OB group (n = 23), while those under 30 were placed into the NO group (n = 99). Data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA (t-test). A one-way ANOVA was used since the non-obese were expected to have significantly better health behaviors. RESULTS: No significant differences were shown between the two groups on measures of food selection (p > 0.05). These included frequency of selection of fruit, juice, salad, vegetables, burgers, chips, and cookies. The OB group actually had more frequent selections of salads and less of cookies and chips, however the differences were not statistically significant. For activity frequency, there were no significant differences between the two groups for frequency of aerobic activities, flexibility training, resistance training, or general physical activity such as walking or biking (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results are significant in that they raise more questions as to the cause of obesity in these individuals. With food choices and activity frequency being similar among these two groups, then there must be other factors that may be causing or contributing to obesity levels such as food portion sizes and/or intensity of physical activity.

Sexual Victimization and Health-Risk Behaviors

The present study utilizes the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey to examine the relationship between health-risk behaviors and sexual victimization among a sample of college women. A prospective design is utilized to examine the relationship between health-risk behaviors as measured at baseline and sexual victimization during a 3-month follow-up period. After controlling for age and parents' education, a history of adolescent sexual victimization was associated with the following health-risk behaviors as measured at pretest: increased likelihood of cigarette smoking, marijuana use, suicidal ideation, experience of physical violence within a dating relationship, use of diet pills and vomiting or laxatives to lose weight, multiple sexual partners, and early sexual intercourse. Prospectively, women's history of adolescent sexual victimization was the strongest predictor of sexual victimization during the 3-month follow-up. Implications of univariate associations between early sexual intercourse, suicidal ideation, and problematic weight loss behaviors and subsequent experience of sexual victimization are discussed.

Participation in college sports and protection from sexual victimization

Some sport sociologists have argued that sport is a male‐dominated institution and sexist culture in which female athletes experience various forms of discrimination, including sexual victimization from coaches and male athletes. Previous research does indicate that female athletes suffer higher rates of sexual victimization from authority figures in sport than their non‐athletic counterparts in education and the workplace, although many studies fail to differentiate adequately between sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and other descriptions that imply variations in the severity of victimization. Researchers have also speculated that athletic participation can protect female athletes from sexual victimization through a variety of social‐psychological mechanisms such as team membership, physical strength, and self‐confidence. This paper reports on the first descriptive analysis to test the “sport protection hypothesis” among both female and male athletes, using cross‐tabulation secondary analyses of data from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey, conducted in 1995 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (N = 4,814). United States college students of traditional undergraduate age (18–24) were included in the sample (N = 2,903). Limited support for the protection hypothesis was found. Student athletes were significantly less likely to report sexual victimization during their late high school and early college years than their non‐athletic counterparts. A gender gap in the pattern of reported sexual victimization also appeared between males and females across all student age groups, with females reporting more sexual victimization than males. However, no significant gender gap was found among athletes. The results are discussed in relation to student gender, athletic status, and concomitant health benefits and also to debates about agency and resilience among athletes