Impact of academic exposure on health status of university students

Revista de Saúde Pública

Maria Piedade Brandão²  Francisco Luís Pimentel²  Margarida Fonseca Cardoso¹ 

[1] ,Universidade de AveiroAveiro,Portugal

关键词: Students;    Universities;    Health Status;    Life Style;    Risk Factors;    Socioeconomic Factors;    Longitudinal Studies;    Portugal;    Estudantes;    Universidades;    Nível de Saúde;    Estilo de Vida;    Fatores de Risco;    Fatores Socioeconômicos;    Estudos Longitudinais;    Portugal;    Estudiantes;    Universidades;    Estado de Salud;    Estilo de Vida;    Factores de Riesgo;    Factores Socioeconómicos;    Estudios Longitudinales;    Portugal;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0034-89102011000100006

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of academic life on health status of university students. METHODS: Longitudinal study including 154 undergraduate students from the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal, with at least two years of follow-up observations. Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics were collected using questionnaires. Students' weight, height, blood pressure, serum glucose, serum lipids and serum homocysteine levels were measured. Regression analysis was performed using linear mixed-effect models, allowing for random effects at the participant level. RESULTS: A higher rate of dyslipidemia (44.0% vs. 28.6%), overweight (16.3% vs. 12.5%) and smoking (19.3% vs. 0.0%) was found among students exposed to the academic life when compared to freshmen. Physical inactivity was about 80%. Total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and physical activity levels were significantly associated with gender (p<0.001). Academic exposure was associated with increased low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (about 1.12 times), and marginally with total cholesterol levels (p=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: High education level does not seem to have a protective effect favoring a healthier lifestyle and being enrolled in health-related areas does not seem either to positively affect students' behaviors. Increased risk factors for non-transmissible diseases in university students raise concerns about their well-being. These results should support the implementation of health promotion and prevention programs at universities.

【 授权许可】

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