Relationships of eating competence, sleep behaviors and quality, and overweight status among college students

Little is known about the relationships between eating competence (intra-individual approach to eating and food-related attitudes and behaviors that entrain positive bio-psychosocial outcomes) and sleep behaviors and quality in college students, a high-risk group for poor eating habits, weight gain, and inadequate sleep. Thus, data from full-time college students (N = 1035; 82% White; 61% female) aged 18–24 years from 5 U.S. universities were obtained from online questionnaires (eating competence (ecSI), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), physical activity, demographics) and physical assessments (measured height, weight), to explore sleep behavior and quality between eating-competent (EC; ecSI score ≥ 32) and non-EC groups (ecSI \u3c 32). Generalized linear models controlling for gender, body mass index, and physical activity were utilized. A higher proportion of those in the EC group reported adequate sleep quality (67% vs. 57% in non-EC, p = 0.001), sleep duration of ≥ 7 h nightly (58% vs. 50% in non-EC, p = 0.007), and infrequent daytime dysfunction (72% vs. 65% in non-EC, p = 0.02). When ecSI scores were grouped as tertiles, those in the highest tertile reported a higher prevalence of no sleep disturbances (7% vs. 2% in the lowest ecSI tertile, p = 0.006) and lower prevalence of sleep medication use (10% vs. 15% in the lowest ecSI tertile, p = 0.04). Results suggest that competent eaters are more likely to have better overall sleep quality and fewer sleep-related issuescompared to less competent eaters. These findings may inform future longitudinal studies, and health promotion and weight management interventions for young adults

Concordance of Self-Report and Measured Height and Weight of College Students

Objective: This study examined associations between college students\u27 self-report and measured height and weight. Methods: Participants (N = 1,686) were 77% white, 62% female, aged 18–24 years (mean ± SD, 19.1 ± 1.1 years), and enrolled at 8 US universities. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for self-report (via online survey); trained researchers measured height and weight and categorized them as normal (18.5 to \u3c 25), overweight (25 to \u3c 30), obese (30 to \u3c 35), and morbidly obese (≥ 35). Results: Concordance of self-report vs objectively measured BMI groups using chi-square revealed that 93% were accurate, 4% were underestimated, and 2.7% were overestimated. Pearson correlations and adjusted linear regression revealed significant associations between self-report and measured BMI (r = .97; P \u3c .001) and BMI adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity (R2 = .94). Concordance was also high between BMI categories (kappa = 0.77; P \u3c .001). Conclusions and Implications: Findings provide support for the utility of self-report height and weight for survey research in college students

A streamlined, enhanced self-report physical activity measure for young adults

Many health promotion practitioners and researchers use the self-report International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to estimate physical activity (PA) level. Reporting days/week and minutes/day engaging in PA can be challenging for participants. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a streamlined, enhanced scoring method of the IPAQ that could reduce participant burden and improve research reporting. IPAQ data from 1471 U.S. university students (79% White, 58% female) at 8 universities were scored using IPAQ traditional short-form scoring algorithm (IPAQ-TSA) to generate metabolic equivalents (METS/minute/week) and an IPAQ Streamlined Scoring Algorithm (IPAQ-SSA) without minutes/day using weighted exercise intensity and days/week. IPAQ-TSA and IPAQ-SSA measures categorize participants into high, moderate, or low PA level based on their PA patterns. Spearman rank correlations between IPAQ-SSA and IPAQ METS (r = 0.69, p \u3c 0.001) were moderate. Correlations between IPAQ-TSA and IPAQ-SSA categories were strong (r = 0.71, p \u3c 0.001), but χ2 tests revealed significantly lower proportion of participants in IPAQ-TSA low PA level than IPAQ-SSA (2.7 vs. 43.5%) suggesting IPAQ-TSA may overestimate PA. In conclusion, the IPAQ-SSA is shorter, eliminates recall bias of reporting minutes/day of PA, and may be sufficiently descriptive of PA, which would be helpful for health promotion practitioners and researchers. However, validation with objective PA measures is warranted

Eat, sleep,work, play: Associations of weight status and health- related behaviors among young adult college students

Purpose. To examine relationships of sleep, eating, and exercise behaviors; work time pressures; and sociodemographic characteristics by weight status (healthy weight [body mass index or BMI , 25] vs. overweight [BMI 25]) of young adults

Relationships of Sleep Duration With Weight-Related Behaviors of U.S. College Students

This study describes sleep behaviors of U.S. college students (N = 1,252; 18–24 years old; 59% female) and examines associations of sleep duration with weight-related behaviors. More than one quarter of participants slept \u3c 7 hr/night and had mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores indicating poor sleep quality. There were significant differences for all PSQI scales among sleep duration categories, \u3c 7 hr (n = 344), 7–8 hr (n = 449), ≥ 8 hr (n = 459) sleep/night. Compared to those who slept ≥ 8 hr, those who slept \u3c 8 hr had significantly more negative eating attitudes (2% higher), poorer internal regulation of food (4% lower), and greater binge eating (4% higher) scores. Findings advocate for health care professionals to evaluate sleep behaviors of college students during office visits and promote good sleep behaviors

Process Evaluation of Project WebHealth: a Nondieting Web-based Intervention for Obesity Prevention in College Students

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the motivational effect of the Project WebHealth study procedures and intervention components on weight-related health behavior changes in male and female college students.DESIGN: Process evaluation.SETTING: Eight universities in the United States.PARTICIPANTS: Project WebHealth participants (n = 653; 29% men).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants rated motivational effects of study procedures and intervention components. Participants were grouped into outcome-based health behavior categories based on achievement of desired targets for fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, and/or body weight.ANALYSIS: Differences in motivation from each procedure and component were analyzed by gender- and outcome-based health behavior category.RESULTS: Women were generally more motivated than men. Compared to those who did not meet any target health behaviors, men with improved health outcomes (68%) were significantly more motivated by the skills to fuel the body lesson, goal setting, and research snippets. Their female counterparts (63%) were significantly more motivated by the lessons on body size and eating enjoyment, and by the suggested weekly activities.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Specific study procedures and components of Project WebHealth motivated study participants to improve their weight-related health behaviors, and they differed by gender. Findings support the need for gender-tailored interventions in this population

College Students\u27 Barriers and Enablers for Healthful Weight Management: A Qualitative Study

Objective: To identify barriers and enablers for healthful weight management among college students. Design: Sixteen on-line focus groups, homogeneous by sex and university. Setting: Eight universities in 8 states. Participants: College students (N = 115; 55% female; mean age 19.7 ± 1.6). Analysis: Qualitative software, Nvivo version 2 (QSR International, Victoria, Australia, 2002), was used; similar codes were grouped together and categorized using an ecological model. Results: Males and females cited the same barriers to weight management: intrapersonal (eg, temptation and lack of discipline); interpersonal (social situations); and environmental (eg, time constraints, ready access to unhealthful food). Similar enablers were identified by sex: intrapersonal (eg, regulating food intake, being physically active); interpersonal (social support); and environmental (eg, university\u27s environment supports physical activity). More barriers than enablers were given, indicating that these college students were more sensitive to barriers than the enablers for weight management. Factors viewed by some students as barriers to weight management were viewed as enablers by others. Conclusions and Implications: When designing weight management interventions for college students, sex specificity may not be as important as considering that a barrier for one student may be an enabler for another. From an ecological perspective, individually focused interventions must be implemented in conjunction with environmental-level interventions to facilitate behavior change. © 2009 Society for Nutrition Education

Impact of an online healthful eating and physical activity program for college students

Purpose. To identify impact of an online nutrition and physical activity program for college students. Design. Randomized, controlled trial using online questionnaires and on-site physical and fitness assessments with measurement intervals of 0 (baseline), 3 (postintervention), and 15 months (follow-up). Setting. Online intervention delivered to college students; a centralized Web site was used for recruitment, data collection, data management, and intervention delivery. Subjects. College students (18-24 years old, n = 1689), from eight universities (Michigan State University, South Dakota State University, Syracuse University, The Pennsylvania State University, Tuskegee University, University of Rhode Island, University of Maine, and University of Wisconsin). Intervention. A 10-lesson curriculum focusing on healthful eating and physical activity, stressing nondieting principles such as size acceptance and eating competence (software developer: Rainstorm, Inc, Orono, Maine). Measures. Measurements included anthropometrics, cardiorespiratory fitness, fruit/vegetable (FV) intake, eating competence, physical activity, and psychosocial stress. Analysis. Repeated measures analysis of variance for outcome variables. Results. Most subjects were white, undergraduate females (63%), with 25% either overweight or obese. Treatment group completion rate for the curriculum was 84%. Over 15 months, the treatment group had significantly higher FV intake (+.5 cups/d) and physical activity participation (+270 metabolic equivalent minutes per week) than controls. For both groups, anthropometric values and stress increased, and fitness levels decreased. Gender differences were present for most variables. First-year males and females gained more weight than participants in other school years. Conclusion. A 10-week online nutrition and physical activity intervention to encourage competence in making healthful food and eating decisions had a positive, lasting effect on FV intake and maintained baseline levels of physical activity in a population that otherwise experiences significant declines in these healthful behaviors. Copyright © 2012 by American Journal of Health Promotion, Inc

Identifying Clusters of College Students at Elevated Health Risk Based on Eating and Exercise Behaviors and Psychosocial Determinants of Body Weight

Weight gain and an increase in overweight and obesity in college students raise serious health concerns. Weight management interventions for college-age men and women might be more effective if they were tailored to subgroups of students with similar behavioral and psychosocial characteristics associated with body weight status. The purpose of this study was to use cluster analysis to identify homogenous subgroups of college-aged men and women enrolled in a weight gain prevention study (Project WebHealth) using baseline data collected in 2008. Project WebHealth was a 15-month nutrition and physical activity intervention designed to decrease the rate of unwanted weight gain in 1,689 college students at eight geographically diverse universities in the United States. Outcome measures included anthropometrics, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and psychosocial variables associated with weight status in college students. Cluster analysis was performed separately by sex using a two-step clustering procedure using weight-related eating and exercise behaviors and psychosocial variables. Cluster groupings were validated against students\u27 measured weight status and waist circumference as indicators of health risk. The study design was cross-sectional. Results showed that three similar clusters were identified for each sex. Validity of the cluster solution was supported by significant group differences in body mass index and waist circumference with the High Risk cluster at elevated health risk compared to the others. For men, variability in eating competence and cognitive restraint scores contributed most to the difference between clusters, whereas for women, emotional eating and uncontrolled eating scores did. These findings could be used to improve effectiveness of messages and interventions by tailoring them to subgroups of college students with similar behavioral and psychosocial characteristics associated with elevated health risk. © 2011 American Dietetic Association