Group 5

  Lifestyles Conductive to Health and Disease in College Populations in the U.S

      California State University, Fresno

      Professor Khang

            April 8, 2022

       Mikayla Pearse, Kassandra Romero, Baobai Yang, Kiana Hopkins, Esmeralda Hurtado 

Description of the group (general characteristics, membership, statistics, relevant issues)

College populations have diverse students with different backgrounds. Now, college students are facing a global pandemic, and their experiences may differ by identity. Structural inequalities, including by race/ethnicity and SEP have shown devastating inequalities in COVID-19 exposure, morbidity, and mortality. 

A vast majority of students today are first generation college students that come from low-income families. As the first person to go to college in their family, there is a lot of cultural pressure on them. They are pressured to take their families out of poverty and have no other option than to focus on their education to achieve this goal. However, what is not really discussed today is the lack of support students receive. Today, college students suffer from mental health issues, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism, and sleeping disorders. There are also well-documented mental health disparities by socioeconomic position (SEP), such that lower-SEP students have a significantly higher average burden of anxiety than higher-SEP students.

Health Issues College Women Are Facing

College can be an overwhelming period for many women and their overall health. More women are becoming more sexually active during their college years. Which is taking a serious toll on a woman's physical and reproductive health. According to research from the National College Health Assessment, “ 66 percent of students had sex in the past 12 months, compared to 72 percent in the 2000 assessment. This trend holds true for Hopkins students; The News-Letter’s recent survey found that about 67 percent of students are sexually active” (Wooden, 2019). This study was evaluating the sexually active students on college campuses. The research indicated that throughout the years from the early 2000s-2019 there has been an increase in the number of sexually active college students.  

Many risk factors come with women and sex on college campuses. Multiple college women are reporting that they have been sexually assaulted. This is a major health concern that the population is being faced with. CDC states, “Approximately 1 in 5 (an estimated 25.5 million) women in the U.S. reported completed or attempted rape at some point in their life, with nearly 52.2 million women reported experiencing some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime” (CDC, 2021). This is a serious concern, being that women who are sexually assaulted are exposed to STDs, which can cause fertility issues. If an STD is not treated in time, in many cases for women it can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory disease (PID). Also, in many cases, both men and women could be unaware that they have an STD. Without condom usage the transmission of an STD is possible. 

How Income Affects The Health Of The College Population 

Many college students are considered low-income. There are a growing number of students who can not afford a safe living environment and access to healthy food. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) indicates, “a greater percentage of low-income students go to college in California (67%) compared to other states (58%). Enrollment gaps between low- and high-income students in California (21 percentage points) are also substantially lower than in the rest of the country (31 percentage points)” (PPIC, 2019). In California, there is a higher number of college students who are in debt. The health of these college students must be evaluated since many of these individuals are not able to access food. That could indicate that those individuals living in poverty who are in college are mainly eating fast food. There are an adverse amount of health risks that come with eating fast food every day. This is affecting one’s weight, cholesterol levels, overall mood, etc. It is important that resources such as SNAP and other food resources for college students who can not afford groceries. 

Major Health Issues

Many students dream of living the college life which can be exciting and adventurous. As challenges begin, students become at risk for major health issues and concerns. According to the article,“Unhealthy behavior clustering and mental health status in the United States college students,” a high percentage of college students do not meet health recommended guidelines.  It mentions that in the areas of smoking, lack of exercise, binge drinking, substance abuse, and poor eating habits, college students are at a high rate for each category. Close to 25% of college students said they had used tobacco products frequently, and nearly half of those surveyed said they didn't satisfy the minimum physical activity requirements. Over a third admitted to binge drinking in the previous two weeks, over a quarter of respondents said they had used marijuana in the previous 30 days, and more than three-quarters of students said they didn't eat the required five or more cups of fruits and vegetables per day in the previous month (Jao, Robinson, Kelly, Cieccierski, Hitsman, 2019). 

 Mental health problems are a major health risk affecting college students across the country.  The CDC (Center for Disease Control) describes mental health as psychological, emotional, and social well being. College students face many stress related triggers that can affect their mental health. The pressures for students can be extremely difficult; exams, grades, deadlines, finances, and  rigorous courses can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and poor sleeping cycles. Studies have shown a direct correlation between mental and physical health. These factors affect how we act, feel, and how we think. According to the CDC, depression and anxiety have been shown to increase risks of heart disease, thyroid disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, weakened immune system, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal issues. (CDC, 2021). 

Another health issue prevalent in college populations are sexually transmitted dieases. According to the article “STD on a University Campus,” statistics mentioned the screening of sexual transmission of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea) and Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) infections are still a major problem among teenagers and young adults. In 2012, there were over 78 million new cases of gonorrhea worldwide, with over 130 million new cases of chlamydia. In 2015, 1,526,658 chlamydia infections were recorded in the United States, an increase of over 6.0 percent over 2014, with the southern area reporting the most cases (Myers, McCaskill, Van Ravenstein, 2017). It is critical to educate students on sexual health and safe sexual practices, as this will aid in the prevention and control of STD’and possible life threatening diseases such as HIV and Syphilis which can affect other parts of your body including your brain and heart. 

Alcoholism is an extremely serious disease affecting college students. In many cases before students even enter college, they are peer pressured into using alcohol. But once the college experience begins, drinking becomes part of a regular social and stress relieving routine. Many students will eventually develop alcohol use disorder (AUD) when they drink frequently, The consequences of alcohol abuse and binge drinking include injury, sexual abuse, assault, and in some cases, even death.  This is a significant public health concern and that has taken a toll on the intellectual and social lives of students on college campuses across the country. “Roughly 20% of college students meet the criteria for having alcohol use disorder AUD, close to 60% of college students between the ages of 18 and 22 admitted to drinking in the past month. Nearly two out of every three college students binge drink. Each year around 2,000 college students at the age of 18 to 24 die as a result of unintended alcohol related injuries''(Alcoholrehabguide.org, 2022). Serious health issues that are affected by drinking include liver damage, high blood pressure, inflammation of the pancreas.. Nearly two out of every three college students binge drink. Each year around 2,000 college students at the age of 18 to 24 die as a result of unintended alcohol related injuries (Alcoholrehabguide.org, 2022). 

Sleep deprivation is a significant health issue for many college students. Irregular sleeping schedules and lack of sleep cause extreme fatigue, irritability, difficulty focusing, and mood changes. This can cause harmful effects on the body by lowering the immune system, causing weight gain, increasing blood pressure and sugar levels, and triggering hormonal imbalances. According to the article “Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students,” “70.6% of students report obtaining less than 8 hours of sleep, 4% are obtaining at least 7 hours of sleep at night; the average sleep duration was 5.7 hours with 2.7 all-nighters (Hershner, Chervin, 2014). There is an increased risk of accidents among college students, as lack of sleep limits the ability to react quickly, make decisions, and pay attention. Long term complications on the body can include diabetes, stroke, heart attack, depression and anxiety, sleep apnea, and psychosis. 

Implications for Multicultural and Global Health 

College years are difficult for adolescents as they are moving into adulthood and going through many changes. These hard years can lead college students to partake in behaviors and lifestyles that are harmful to their bodies and overall health. Many adolescents during this time seem to rely on alcohol and drug use to consult feelings associated with the vulnerable times they are going through, specifically when dealing with stress. They are also known to lack a healthy diet and maintain physical activity recommended for their age group (Deasy, 2015). 

College students may become overwhelmed with all of life’s situations. Many are not only full-time students, but may have jobs, children, families, and other obligations. Due to the overwhelming amount of situations they may be in, many are dealing with high incidents of stress. Stress risks a person’s overall health due to an individual's immense relationship with their overall environment, affecting their well-being (Deasy, 2015). Ultimately, these factors affect the overall success of a student's academic performance (Deasy, 2015). Along with these stressors, academic stress also plays a major factor within this population. For specific majors, such as nursing and education students, they deal with death and disorderly children, respectively (Deasy, 2015). 

As mentioned previously, many students turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms in order to deal with the stressors they face. Some of the top coping strategies for this population include: sleeping, physical activity, eating, consuming alcohol, ignoring stress, and using study drugs (American Addiction Centers, 2019). College culture revolves heavily on partying and drinking as well as the use of drugs. While some students are able to find creative and healthy outlets to relieve their stress, for others that is not the case. In many majors such as engineering, marketing and communications, and education, over 60 percent of these students reported using alcohol to cope with stress (American Addiction Centers, 2019). When looking at the year and academic level of college students who rely on drinking as their outlet, over 50 percent of each year and level reported using alcohol. Seniors and freshmen were amongst the top ranked at 60 and 58.8 percent, respectively (American Addiction Centers, 2019). 

When looking at specific cultures, some suffer from higher rates of stress than others. Each racial and ethnic group face different imbalances which affect their overall burnout, stress, dropout, completion, and GPA rates (Dickerson, 2015). Some of the heavily impacted populations include the Black and Latino or Hispanic when comparing them to Asian and White populations (Dickerson, 2015). 

The percentage of Black students across college campuses are beginning to increase every year. The rates of black graduates, however, continue to remain low at only 43 percent despite their White counterparts at 63 percent. Racism was found to be very impactful on the levels of stress in college students. Black students who were surveyed noted that they experienced institutional, personal, and internal racism while in college (Dickerson, 2015). Furthermore, black students who were identified as having parents who had received low levels of education reported higher stress levels among other races and ethnicities (Dickerson, 2015). 

Based on the findings, stress should be taken into consideration when dealing with the college population. Stress has impacted this population in many ways from many different factors. Different education programs and suggestions can be made to improve the health among these populations. For starters, classes could be offered through college campuses to combat these issues. Freshman year is an important time to start these habits. Incorporating classes into freshman year general education such as, physical activity, nutrition, and psychology could impact the lives of this population. These classes allow students to learn first hand how health impacts them overall. 

Another program that could be offered to this population could be therapy and counseling to these students. Many students are unaware of how to take care of their mental health. By allowing therapy sessions, students will be able to connect what they are going through and allow them to get pointers and suggestions on how to combat it. Group therapy sessions could also be beneficial, especially for minorities, to be able to connect with others who may be going through the same struggles. 

References

American Addiction Centers. (2019). Coping With College Stress. Retrieved from 

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/learn/college-coping-mechanisms/#:~:text=Overall

%2C%2088%20percent%20of%20college,t%20too%20far%20behind%2C%20though. 

Deasy, C. Coughlan, B. Pironom, J. Jourdan,D. Mcnamara. P. (2015). Psychological distress and 

lifestyle of students: implications for health promotion, Health Promotion International. 30(1), Pages 77–87 Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dau086

Dickerson T. F., Smith, J. (2015). A comparative study on the stress levels of black, white, 

asian, and latino undergraduate Students. 1(3). Retrieved from 

https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=jri 

Gao, C.  Sun, Y. Zhang, F. Zhou, F. Dong, C. Ke, Z. Wang, Q. Yang, Y. Sun, H. (2021). 

Prevalence and correlates of lifestyle behavior, anxiety and depression in Chinese college freshman: A cross-sectional survey, International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 8(3). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.05.013.

Tomy, C., Fathima, F. N., Mathew, S. S., & Johnson, A. R. (2019). Barriers to Healthy Lifestyle 

among College-Going Students in a Selected College in Bengaluru Urban District. Indian 

journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 44(Suppl 1), S54–S56. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_44_19 

ALYSSA WOODEN | February 14. (2019, February 14). Why are we having less sex today than ever before? Letter. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2019/02/why-are-we-having-less-sex-today-than-ever-before

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 21). College health and safety for women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/college/index.html

Person, Johnson, H., Bohn, S., & Mejia, M. C. (2021, June 2). Leveling the playing field in college admissions. Public Policy Institute of California. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.ppic.org/blog/leveling-the-playing-field-in-college-admissions/#:~:text=Although%20recent%20high%20school%20graduates,to%20other%20states%20(58%25).