Katherine Lust

Credit card debt, stress and key health risk behaviors among college students

Purpose. To examine cross-sectional associations between credit card debt, stress, and health risk behaviors among college students, focusing particularly on weight-related behaviors. Design. Random-sample, mailed survey. Subjects/Setting. Undergraduate and graduate students (n = 3206) attending a large public university. Measures. Self-reported health indicators (e.g., weight, height, physical activity, diet, weight control, stress, credit card debt). Results. More than 23% of students reported credit card debt ≥

Understanding young adult physical activity, alcohol and tobacco use in community colleges and 4-year post-secondary institutions: A cross-sectional analysis of epidemiological surveillance data

1000. Using Poisson regression to predict relative risks (RR) of health behaviors, debt of at least

Weight-Related Issues and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among College Students

1000 was associated with nearly every risk indicator tested, including overweight/obesity, insufficient physical activity, excess television viewing infrequent breakfast consumption, fast food consumption, unhealthy weight control, body dissatisfaction, binge drinking, substance use, and violence. For example, adjusted RR [ARR] ranged from 1.09 (95% Confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.17) for insufficient vigorous activity to 2.17 (CI: 0.68–2.82) for using drugs other than marijuana in the past 30 days. Poor stress management was also a robust indicator of health risk. Conclusion. University student lifestyles may be characterized by a variety of coexisting risk factors. These findings indicate that both debt and stress were associated with wide-ranging adverse health indicators. Intervention strategies targeting at-risk student populations need to be tailored to work within the context of the many challenges of college life, which may serve as barriers to healthy lifestyles. Increased health promotion efforts targeting stress, financial management, and weight-related health behaviors may be needed to enhance wellness among young adults.

Alcohol use, eating patterns, and weight behaviors in a university population.

BackgroundYoung adults experience many adverse health behavior changes as they transition from adolescence into adulthood. A better understanding of the relationships between health promoting and risky health behaviors may aid in the development of health promotion interventions for various types of young adult post-secondary students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine associations between alcohol and tobacco use and physical activity among 2-year and 4-year college students.MethodsCross-sectional analyses were conducted using 2007 survey data, collected as part of an on-going post-secondary health surveillance system in Minnesota. Students were randomly selected to participant from 14 Minnesota colleges and universities (six 2-year community and/or technical colleges, eight 4-year post-secondary institutions). The 2007 surveillance data included 9,931 respondents.ResultsThe prevalence of demographic characteristics and health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, tobacco use) differed between young adults attending 2-year and 4-year post-secondary institutions; in general, those attending 2-year institutions are representative of more at-risk populations. Overall, higher levels of moderate, vigorous and strengthening physical activity were associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption and lower levels of smoking. In general, despite the disparities in the prevalence of these risk behaviors, the associations between the behaviors did not differ substantially between 2-year and 4-year post-secondary populations.ConclusionsThese findings illustrate links between leading risk behaviors. Interventions targeting multiple risk behaviors among young adults may warrant further consideration. Overall, future research is needed to support and inform young adult health promotion efforts that may be implemented in a wide array of post-secondary institutions.

Conducting Go-Along Interviews to Understand Context and Promote Health

Individuals with high body mass index (BMI), negative body image, and unhealthy weight control behaviors may be more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors than others. Researchers have not fully investigated these relationships in a sample of college students. The authors collected data regarding several weight-related issues and high-risk sexual behaviors (response rate = 39%) from 1,168 college students. Over half reported at least 1 high-risk sexual behavior. After the authors controlled for several demographic characteristics, they found that higher BMIs were associated with increased odds of having a casual sexual partner (odds ratio [OR] = 2.70) and being intoxicated at last intercourse (OR = 2.25). Among women, unhealthy weight control behaviors were associated with having a casual partner (OR = 2.12), using no or unreliable contraception (OR = 1.98), and being intoxicated at last intercourse (OR = 2.31). Weight-related issues were not associated with sexual behaviors among college men. The authors describe their findings within two health behavior frameworks, and they discuss implications for research and health education.

The Differential Prevalence of Obesity and Related Behaviors in Two- vs. Four-Year Colleges

OBJECTIVE To explore associations between alcohol, alcohol-related eating, and weight-related health indicators. METHODS Cross-sectional, multivariate regression of weight behaviors, binge drinking, and alcohol-related eating, using self-reported student survey data (n=3206 undergraduates/graduates). RESULTS Binge drinking was associated with poor diets, unhealthy weight control, body dissatisfaction, and sedentary behavior. Neither year in school nor age modified these relationships. Alcohol-related eating was associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity. CONCLUSIONS Binge drinking was associated with an array of adverse behaviors. These associations did not differ between undergraduate and graduate students. Initiatives are needed to assist students in overcoming campus norms promoting unhealthy alcohol and dietary patterns.

Differential prevalence of alcohol use among 2-year and 4-year college students

Go-along interviewing is an innovative approach to obtaining contextualized perspectives by conducting mobile interviews in which the participant acts as a navigational guide of the real or virtual space within which he or she lives. In this study, we used go-along interviews to obtain college students’ contextualized perceptions of sexual health resources. Seventy-eight undergraduate students showed and described the resources on and near five campuses in a Midwestern state. In this article, we focus on the methodology of go-along interviews. The go-along, a relatively new methodology in health research, is a format in which participants take an active role in shaping the interview, and it facilitates identification of resources that might be overlooked using traditional interview formats. The go-along methodology is promising for researchers wanting to ground health-promotion efforts in the context of environmental or community-based strengths and needs.

Maternal Intake of Cruciferous Vegetables and Other Foods and Colic Symptoms in Exclusively Breast-Fed Infants

The objective of this study was to determine whether obesity prevalence and weight‐related behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity) differ among students enrolled in 2‐year community/technical colleges and those attending 4‐year colleges/universities. This information could inform the development of intervention strategies. Through an existing surveillance system of Minnesota postsecondary education institutions, survey data were collected from 16,539 students from 27 campuses (14 two‐year college campuses, 13 four‐year college/university campuses; 2007–2008), including self‐reported physical activity, media use, dietary patterns, weight control behaviors, height, and weight. Unadjusted analyses indicated that students enrolled in 2‐year colleges, particularly females, had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity, lower levels of physical activity, more television viewing, higher intakes of soda, fast food, and diet pills compared to students attending 4‐year colleges (P < 0.05). Females attending 4‐year colleges were more likely to engage in certain unhealthy weight control behaviors (taking diet pills, binge eating, self‐induced vomiting) compared to females attending 2‐year institutions. Among male students there were fewer differences between 2‐year and 4‐year colleges. Controlling for sociodemographic factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, age), most disparities in prevalence estimates remained, though many were attenuated. Overall, few young adults engage in weight‐related behaviors consistent with national recommendations. Two‐year college students may represent a particularly at‐risk group. Disparities between 2‐ and 4‐year college students exist beyond the sociodemographic differences in these populations. Effective weight‐related interventions are needed for young adults, particularly females attending 2‐year colleges and all males attending postsecondary institutions.

Disparities in Weight and Weight Behaviors by Sexual Orientation in College Students.

PURPOSE To determine whether alcohol use behaviors and alcohol-related consequences differed among students attending two-year versus four-year colleges. METHODS Participants (N=13,700) from 7 two-year and 11 four-year colleges completed the 2010 College Student Health Survey. Alcohol use behaviors included past year alcohol use, past month alcohol use, and binge drinking over the past two weeks. Alcohol-related factors included average calculated blood alcohol level and average number of alcohol-related consequences. Cross-sectional mixed-effects regression analyses were conducted to determine if the prevalence of alcohol-related behaviors and consequences differed among two-year and four-year students. RESULTS Students attending four-year colleges, particularly males, were more likely to report past year alcohol use, past month alcohol use, and binge drinking, as well as a higher average blood alcohol content and a greater number of alcohol-related consequences than their two-year counterparts (p<0.05). Among female students there were fewer differences between two-year and four-year college students. Many differences remained after adjusting for socio-demographic factors (e.g., age, race/ethnicity), however, with the addition of living situation as a covariate, several of the differences among males were no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS Significant differences in alcohol-related behaviors and consequences exist among students attending two-year versus four-year colleges. While the prevalence of alcohol-related behaviors and consequences was lower among two-year college students, they are not a population to be over-looked. The prevalence of alcohol use remains high among both two-year and four-year college students, making it important for researchers to design appropriate interventions for all students regardless of the type of institution being attended.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and health risk behaviors among Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans attending college

OBJECTIVE We sought to assess relationships among components of maternal diet and the presence of colic symptoms among exclusively breast-fed infants aged < or = 4 months. DESIGN Data were collected by means of a mailed questionnaire that solicited information on the presence of symptoms of colic in infants and maternal intake of 15 foods (including four cruciferous vegetables) during the week before completion of the questionnaire. SUBJECTS Exclusively breast-feeding women (n = 272) and their 273 infants aged < or = 4 months. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED Dietary variables were analyzed categorically by logistic regression. Two-by-two tables were used to calculate relative risks. RESULTS Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for colic symptoms by food items the mothers consumed ranged from 0.7 (CI = 0.3 to 1.5) for beef to 2.0 (CI = 1.1 to 3.5) for cows milk. Maternal intake of cabbage (RR = 1.3, CI = 1.1 to 1.5), cauliflower (RR = 1.2, CI = 1.0 to 1.4), broccoli (RR = 1.3, CI = 1.0 to 2.2), cows milk (RR = 2.0, CI = 1.1 to 3.5), onion (RR = 1.7, CI = 1.1 to 2.5), and chocolate (RR = 1.5, CI = 1.0 to 2.2) were significantly related to colic symptoms. Maternal intake of more than one cruciferous vegetable was associated with an RR of 1.6 (CI = 1.1 to 2.4) for infants experiencing one or more colic symptoms. CONCLUSION Results of this study provide initial evidence that maternal intake of cruciferous vegetables, cows milk, onion, or chocolate during exclusive breast-feeding is associated with colic symptoms in young infants.