Health behaviors of culturally diverse inner-city community college students

• Published in: Journal of American college health Vol. 64; no. 8; pp. 651 - 663
• Main Authors: Heller, Janet R., Sarmiento, Ariel L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 01.11.2016; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Differences; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol use; Anal intercourse; Body Mass Index; Chi-square test; college health; College students; Community college; Community Colleges; Condoms; Cultural Differences; Diet; Enrollment; Ethnicity; Exercise; Female; Gender Differences; Health Behavior; Health problems; High risk; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune disorders; Inner city; Male; Multiculturalism & pluralism; New York (New York); New York City; Nutrition; Obesity; Physical activity; Physical Fitness; Predictor Variables; Pregnancy; Protective factors; Racial Differences; Risk assessment; Risk behavior; Risk-Taking; Safe sexual practices; Sexual Behavior; Sexuality; Smoking; Statistical Analysis; Student Attitudes; Student Behavior; Student Diversity; Student Surveys; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Universities - classification; Urban Population; Urban Schools; Working Hours; Young Adult; New York (New York); Community college; health behavior; college health; sexual behavior
• ISSN: 0744-8481; 1940-3208
• DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2016.1223674

Objective: To determine the prevalence of risk behaviors related to cigarette use, alcohol use, nutrition, physical fitness, and sexual behavior. Participants: Participants were 1,075 students attending an urban community college during the Spring 2012 semester. Methods: Data were collected in randomly selected classes using the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) paper survey and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 for frequencies and chi-square test of independence. Results: The sample population reported poor diet, low rates of physical activity, high rates of overweight/obesity, low rates of condom use for vaginal sex, multiple sexual partners, and unintentional pregnancy. Protective health behaviors included low rates of cigarette smoking and alcohol use, high rates of condoms use for anal sex, and high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing. Conclusion: Students are at high risk for health problems related to poor diet, lack of exercise, and risky sexual behaviors. Additional research is recommended to determine the most effective intervention strategies.