lifestyle risk factors of students

Preventive Medicine 51 (2010) 73–77

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Preventive Medicine j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / y p m e d

Lifestyle risk factors of students: A cluster analytical approach
Lorna J. Dodd a,⁎, Yahya Al-Nakeeb b, Alan Nevill c, Mark J. Forshaw d a Department of Psychology and Counselling, Newman University College, Genners Lane, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 3NT, United Kingdom
Department of Physical Education and Sports Studies, Newman University College, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 3NT, United Kingdom c School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus, Gorway Road, Walsall, WS1 3BD, United Kingdom d Centre for Health Psychology, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE, United Kingdom b a r t i c l e

i n f o

Available online 10 April 2010
Keywords:
Lifestyle
Clustering
Risk factors
Students ' health
United Kingdom
Stress
Physical activity
Diet
Drinking behaviour
Smoking

a b s t r a c t
Objective. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours have been identified as a problem amongst students. This present study investigated the prevalence and clustering of five lifestyle risk factors within a UK Higher
Education (HE) institution during the period of April–May in 2008.
Method. In a cross-sectional design, 410 students completed a ‘health and lifestyle’ survey. Data was collected on psychological stress, physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable intake, binge drinking, smoking, and demographic factors.
Results. Three subgroups emerged from the cluster analysis: ‘unhealthy/high risk’, ‘moderately healthy/ moderate risk’ and ‘healthy/low risk’ group. The groups were cross-tabulated by demographics and the resulting clusters provided an insightful indication of how behaviours interact. Data on the whole sample revealed that the prevalence of three lifestyle risk factors were high; 70% did not meet the recommended guidelines of PA,

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