Relationship between Stress and Healthy Lifestyle Factors of College Students

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed the correlation between college students’ perceived stress (PS) and healthy lifestyle factors (HLFs) in this cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were collected from 1396 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory nutrition course. We measured PS and 5 HLFs (physically active, healthy diet, non-smoker, non-binge drinker, healthy BMI). Results: The mean PS score was 15.0 ± 0.2 (maximum, 40) and the mean number of HLFs reported was 2.9 ± 0.03. Females were more likely to report 4-5 HLFs than males (31% vs 20%). We found a statistically significant inverse correlation between PS and HLFs for women (p < .01). Conclusions: Health promotion interventions that support healthy food choices, physical activity and low-risk substance use may reduce perceived stress in the college population.