The effect of physical activity and nutrition on the stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption of college freshmen

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the changes of health behaviors in college students as they transition through their freshman year. Methods: At a southern public university, the author surveyed 167 freshmen, ages 18 to 25, to examine the effects of physical activity and nutrition on stress management, interpersonal relationships and alcohol consumption in college freshmen. The participant’s responses were assessed at two time points: baseline exposure and 3 month outcome and 3 month exposure and 6 month outcome. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II questionnaire and the Daily Drinking questionnaire (DDQ) examined the health behaviors and drinking consumption of college freshmen. Results: Students with moderate physical activity had nearly half the odds of better stress management as compared to students with higher physical activity. However, this result was not statistically significant; baseline exposure to 3 month outcome (OR= 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24, 1.01); 3 month exposure to 6 month outcome (OR= 0.52 95% CI: 0.25, 1.29). Students with moderate nutrition had nearly 1.5 times the odds of having poor interpersonal relationships as compared to students with high nutrition. This result was not statistically significant: baseline exposure to 3 month outcome (OR=1.49, 95% CI: 0.23, 2.34); 3 month exposure to 6 month outcome (OR=1.57, 95% CI: 0.89, 4.35). Discussion: Few studies have evaluated physical activity and nutrition and the health behaviors of stress management, interpersonal relationships and alcohol consumption. This study can provide further understanding of health promotion behaviors in college students

A cross-country comparison of secondhand smoke exposure in public places among adults in five African countries - The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2012 - 2015

Background Secondhand smoke (SHS) causes approximately 600,000 deaths annually worldwide. Timely surveillance can inform the development and enforcement of comprehensive smoke-free policies in indoor public places; yet, in many African countries, there is limited data on SHS exposure in this environment. This study examined self-reported SHS exposure in public places in five African countries. Methods Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) were analyzed for Cameroon (2013), Kenya (2014), Nigeria (2012), Senegal (2015), and Uganda (2013). GATS is a standardized, nationally representative household survey of individuals aged ≥15 years. Point prevalence estimates for past 30-day SHS exposure were assessed for the following environments: bars/nightclubs, restaurants, government buildings, public transportation, and healthcare facilities. Analyses were restricted to persons who reported visiting each environment. Estimates were calculated separately for all adults and nonsmokers; nonsmokers were defined as those who answered “not at all” to the question, “Do you currently smoke tobacco on a daily basis, less than daily, or not at all?” Data were weighted and analyzed using SPSS V.24. Results Among all adults who visited each environment, country-specific SHS exposure ranged as follows: bars/nightclubs, 86.1% (Kenya) to 62.3% (Uganda); restaurants, 31.9% (Cameroon) to 16.0% (Uganda); government buildings, 24.2% (Senegal) to 5.7 % (Uganda); public transportation, 22.9% (Cameroon) to 7.8% (Uganda); and healthcare facilities, 10.2% (Senegal) to 4.5% (Uganda). SHS exposure among nonsmokers was as follows: bars/nightclubs, 85.6% (Kenya) to 60.9% (Uganda); restaurants, 32.0% (Cameroon) to 16.1% (Uganda); government buildings, 24.2% (Senegal) to 5.8 % (Uganda); public transportation, 22.2% (Cameroon) to 7.7% (Uganda); and healthcare facilities, 9.9% (Senegal) to 4.5% (Uganda). Conclusions In the assessed African countries, SHS exposure was lowest in healthcare facilities and highest in bars/nightclubs. Smoke-free policies in indoor public places, consistent with the World Health Organization's MPOWER framework, are important to protect nonsmokers from SHS exposure

The Effect of Physical Activity on the Stress Management, Interpersonal Relationships, and Alcohol Consumption of College Freshmen

The aim of this study was to assess the changes of health behaviors in college students as they transition through their freshman year. The author surveyed 167 freshmen, ages 18 to 25, to examine the effects of physical activity on the stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption in college freshmen. The participant’s responses were at baseline to 3-month outcome and 3-month to 6-month outcome. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II questionnaire and the Daily Drinking Questionnaire examined the health behaviors and drinking consumption. Students with moderate physical activity had nearly half the odds of better stress management as compared with students with higher physical activity. However, this result was not statistically significant, OR = 0.49, 95% CI = [0.24, 1.01], and OR = 0.52, 95% CI = [0.25, 1.29]. Few studies have evaluated physical activity and the health behaviors of stress management, interpersonal relationships, and alcohol consumption in college students. This study can provide further understanding of health promotion behaviors in college students