Characterising the activity, lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes of UK university students: an observational cohort study with a focus on gender and ethnicity

Health-related outcomes and behaviours in university students are known to be poor relative to the general population. The substantial contextual shifts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with increased numbers of students from minoritised ethnicity backgrounds and presenting as trans and ge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2024-12, Vol.24 (1), p.3501-13
Main Authors: Savage, Matthew J, Procter, Eleanor L, Magistro, Daniele, Hennis, Philip J, Donaldson, James, Leslie-Walker, Anika, Jones, Bethany A, James, Ruth M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis
Behaviour
Body Mass Index
Cohort Studies
COVID-19 - ethnology
Diet - statistics & numerical data
Ethnicity
Ethnicity - psychology
Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data
Exercise
Exercise - psychology
Female
Gender diversity
Health
Health aspects
Health Behavior
Humans
Life Style
Lifestyle
Male
Mental health
Mental Health - statistics & numerical data
Sex Factors
Sleep
Student
Students
Students - psychology
Students - statistics & numerical data
Surveys
United Kingdom
Universities
Young Adult
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Summary:Health-related outcomes and behaviours in university students are known to be poor relative to the general population. The substantial contextual shifts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with increased numbers of students from minoritised ethnicity backgrounds and presenting as trans and gender diverse (TGD), means that up-to-date information is unavailable. The primary aim of this study was therefore to characterise the current movement, dietary and lifestyle behaviours, mental health, and Body Mass Index (BMI) of UK university students and assess differences between genders and ethnic groups. An online, self-report survey was administered across three years (2021-2023). Three independent cohorts of university students' (n = 6,327) completed the survey on four key topic areas. One-way ANOVAs were used to assess differences between genders (men, women, TGD), and independent samples t-tests were used to assess differences between ethnic groups (White, Minoritised Ethnicity). 30% of students were not meeting physical activity guidelines, 54% were sedentary for ≥ 6 h·d , 83% had poor diet quality, 51% were in high or increased risk groups for alcohol consumption, 18% experienced terrible or poor sleep quality, and 32% were overweight or obese. Gender differences were present for all variables other than walking physical activity (WPA) (P 
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-20911-0