College students comprise one of the healthiest populations in the United States. However, they are vulnerable for a variety of health problems due to poor health behaviors and level of stress. Their age and cognitive development place them at a stage of life-long habit formation but also in a phase of life experimentation. Esposure to drugs and alcohol, sexual relationships, diet choices, lack of rest, automobile travel at school and on long trips to home or friends' activities, dealing with the demands of school assignments, and making personal decisions about life goals are daunting. One strategy to reach them and help them develop healthier coping skills is the use of a health risk appraisal format for personal health data collection. Combining the health risk appraisal with a multi-phasic health screening program increases the validity of collected data and its interpretation. Examining the impact of these two strategies is the focus of this presentation. Regular college students and nursing students are compared to determine if there are significant differences in their health behaviors. The participation rates of the two populations are compared to examine the effectiveness of these recruitment methods for health promotion programs. Evaluation of the two student groups' perceptions of personal health status provides insight into their personal health behaviors. Correlation and t-test statistics will be used for this analysis of the health risk profiles of students in two programs, regular college and nursing.
Learning Objectives: After attending this session, the participant should be able to: 1. Describe the use of Health Risk Assessment instruments with healthy populations. 2. Compare the health behaviors of regular college students and nursing students. 3. Compare self-reported health status to the health behaviors of college and nursing students. 4. Examine the effectiveness of health risk assessment and screening activities as health promotion recruitment strategies for college and nursing students.
Keywords: Behavioral Research, Challenges and Opportunities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Healthier People Health Risk Appraisal Form which is in the public domain.
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.