'A Healthy CIT': An Investigation into Student Health Metrics, Lifestyle Behaviours and the Predictors of Positive Mental Health in an Irish Higher Education Setting

Autor: Joan Dinneen, Andrea Bickerdike, Cian O’Neill
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Male
030309 nutrition & dietetics
health promotion
Health
Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Health Status
lcsh:Medicine
Computer-assisted web interviewing
Overweight
0302 clinical medicine
Surveys and Questionnaires
gender
030212 general & internal medicine
0303 health sciences
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
health
Mental Health
healthy universities
language
Female
medicine.symptom
Psychology
Adult
lifestyle
Higher education
Adolescent
Universities
Article
health behaviours
03 medical and health sciences
Young Adult
BMI
Risk-Taking
Sex Factors
Irish
Environmental health
medicine
Humans
Healthy Lifestyle
university students
Students
Quality Indicators
Health Care
business.industry
lcsh:R
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
medicine.disease
Mental health
Obesity
language.human_language
Health promotion
Self Report
business
Ireland
Forecasting
Zdroj: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 16
Issue 22
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 16, Iss 22, p 4318 (2019)
ISSN: 1660-4601
Popis: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are potent health promotion settings, uniquely positioned to aid societal efforts to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). International evidence suggests that health metrics and lifestyle behaviours of higher education students are sub-optimal, yet a dearth of contemporary Irish data exists. This study aimed to examine sex differences in student lifestyle behaviours and identify significant predictors of positive mental health in an Irish HEI setting. An online questionnaire instrument distributed to all registered students (n = 11,261) gathered data regarding a multitude of health and lifestyle domains. Many items were adapted from previous Irish research. Further validated scales included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Mental-Health Index 5 (MHI-5) and the Energy and Vitality Index (EVI). Self-reported height/body mass were also recorded. In total, 2267 responses were analysed (51.7% female, 48.3% male). Both sexes demonstrated poor sleeping patterns, hazardous drinking and sub-optimal fruit and vegetable intake. The calculated prevalence of overweight/obesity was 38.2%. Both sexes underestimated obesity. Males underestimated and females overestimated overweight. Males displayed riskier behavioural patterns with regard to illicit substances, drinking, and sexual partners. Females reported greater psychological distress. Multivariate linear regression identified 8 variables as predictors of positive mental health, accounting for 37% of the variance in EVI scores. In conclusion, HEI students would benefit from sex-specific multi-level health promotion initiatives to remove macro-level barriers to healthier lifestyles.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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