Is There an Association between Health Risk Behaviours and Academic Achievement among University Students?
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participants and Recruitment
2.3. Measures
2.3.1. Exposures
Dietary Intake
Physical Activity
Sitting Time
Sleep
Alcohol
Smoking
Multiple Health Behaviour Risk Factor Score (Risk Factor Score)
2.3.2. Outcome: Academic Achievement
2.3.3. Socio-Demographics and Student Characteristics
2.4. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Summary of Sample Characteristics
3.2. Associations of Academic Achievement (GPA) with Individual Health Risk Behaviours
3.3. Associations of Academic Achievement (GPA) with Multiple Health Risk Behaviours (Risk Factor Score)
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Mean ± SD or % (n) | |
---|---|
Age (years), mean ± SD | 25.0 ± 7.9 |
Gender, % (n) | |
Female | 70.6 (1090) |
Male | 29.4 (453) |
Country of origin, % (n) | |
Australia | 86.6 (1337) |
Other countries | 13.4 (206) |
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, % (n)a | 4.1 (64) |
Domestic / International, % (n) | |
Domestic | 94.2 (1453) |
International | 5.8 (90) |
Student type, % (n) | |
Undergraduate | 87.9 (1356) |
Postgraduate (coursework) | 12.1 (187) |
Faculty of enrolment, % (n) | |
Business and Law | 15.1 (233) |
Education and Arts | 25.6 (395) |
Engineering and Built Environment | 12.9 (199) |
Health and Medicine | 29.3 (452) |
Science | 17.1 (264) |
Number of years studying, % (n) | |
1st year | 36.4 (561) |
2nd year | 21.3 (328) |
3rd year | 21.2 (327) |
4th year | 12.2 (189) |
5th year and above | 8.9 (138) |
Living situation, % (n) | |
Own home | 13.0 (201) |
Parents’ home | 39.1 (604) |
On-campus residences | 9.0 (139) |
Renting | 36.2 (558) |
Others | 2.7 (41) |
Paid work (hours/week), mean ± SD | 13.9 ± 12.5 |
Receiving financial support, % (n) | 42.0 (648) |
Grade Point Average, median (IQR) | 5.7 (5.0–6.2) |
% (n) or Median (IQR) | |
---|---|
Dietary intake | |
Fruit and vegetable consumption | |
Not meeting fruit recommendations | 52.0 (802) |
Not meeting vegetable recommendations | 90.2 (1392) |
Soft drink (cups/day or week) | |
≤1 per week | 74.4 (1148) |
2–6 per week | 20.3 (314) |
1 per day | 2.5 (38) |
≥2 per day | 2.8 (43) |
Takeaway foods (times/week) | |
<1 | 64.6 (997) |
1–2 | 28.6 (442) |
3–4 | 5.9 (91) |
5–6 | 0.7 (11) |
Daily | 0.1 (2) |
Breakfast consumption (times/week) | |
<1 | 14.7 (227) |
1–2 | 9.0 (139) |
3–4 | 10.8 (167) |
5–6 | 13.5 (209) |
Daily | 51.9 (801) |
Physical activity | |
Not meeting physical activity recommendations | 27.5 (425) |
Sitting time | |
Sitting >8 h/day | 35.5 (547) |
Sleep | |
Not meeting age-based sleep recommendations | 22.6 (348) |
Alcohol | |
Exceeding single occasion alcohol consumption risk | 33.1 (510) |
Smoking | |
Smoker | 6.8 (105) |
Risk Factor Score | 2.0, 1.0–2.5 |
Variable | Model | β-Coefficient a | SE | R2 | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Not meeting fruit recommendations | Unadjusted | −0.221 | 0.057 | 0.010 | <0.001 |
Adjusted b | −0.203 | 0.057 | 0.047 | <0.001 | |
Not meeting vegetable recommendations | Unadjusted | −0.201 | 0.096 | 0.003 | 0.037 |
Adjusted c | −0.125 | 0.097 | 0.033 | 0.197 | |
Soft drink > 1 cup(s) per week | Unadjusted | −0.355 | 0.065 | 0.004 | <0.001 |
Adjusted d | −0.307 | 0.066 | 0.048 | <0.001 | |
Takeaway food ≥ 1 time(s) per week | Unadjusted | −0.169 | 0.060 | 0.005 | 0.005 |
Adjusted e | −0.130 | 0.060 | 0.044 | 0.029 | |
Breakfast consumption < daily | Unadjusted | −0.303 | 0.057 | 0.018 | <0.001 |
Adjusted f | −0.261 | 0.057 | 0.054 | <0.001 | |
Not meeting physical activity recommendations | Unadjusted | −0.039 | 0.064 | 0.0002 | 0.543 |
Adjusted g | −0.010 | 0.064 | 0.041 | 0.877 | |
Sitting time >8 h/day | Unadjusted | −0.030 | 0.060 | 0.0002 | 0.612 |
Adjusted h | −0.011 | 0.060 | 0.029 | 0.851 | |
Not meeting age-based sleep recommendations | Unadjusted | −0.138 | 0.068 | 0.003 | 0.043 |
Adjusted k | −0.163 | 0.068 | 0.028 | 0.018 | |
Exceeding single occasion alcohol consumption risk | Unadjusted | −0.299 | 0.060 | 0.016 | <0.001 |
Adjusted i | −0.277 | 0.062 | 0.054 | <0.001 | |
Smoker | Unadjusted | −0.417 | 0.113 | 0.009 | <0.001 |
Adjusted j | −0.393 | 0.113 | 0.033 | 0.001 | |
Risk Factor Score | Unadjusted | −0.111 | 0.025 | 0.019 | <0.001 |
Adjusted l | −0.105 | 0.026 | 0.048 | <0.001 |
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Ong, C.K.Y.; Hutchesson, M.J.; Patterson, A.J.; Whatnall, M.C. Is There an Association between Health Risk Behaviours and Academic Achievement among University Students? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 8314. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168314
Ong CKY, Hutchesson MJ, Patterson AJ, Whatnall MC. Is There an Association between Health Risk Behaviours and Academic Achievement among University Students? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(16):8314. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168314
Chicago/Turabian StyleOng, Catriona Kar Yuen, Melinda J. Hutchesson, Amanda J. Patterson, and Megan C. Whatnall. 2021. "Is There an Association between Health Risk Behaviours and Academic Achievement among University Students?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 16: 8314. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168314