Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Rev Saude Publica. 2011 Feb;45(1):49-58. doi: 10.1590/s0034-89102011000100006.
To assess the impact of academic life on health status of university students.
Longitudinal study including 154 undergraduate students from the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal, with at least two years of follow-up observations. Sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics were collected using questionnaires. Students' weight, height, blood pressure, serum glucose, serum lipids and serum homocysteine levels were measured. Regression analysis was performed using linear mixed-effect models, allowing for random effects at the participant level.
A higher rate of dyslipidemia (44.0% vs. 28.6%), overweight (16.3% vs. 12.5%) and smoking (19.3% vs. 0.0%) was found among students exposed to the academic life when compared to freshmen. Physical inactivity was about 80%. Total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and physical activity levels were significantly associated with gender (p<0.001). Academic exposure was associated with increased low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (about 1.12 times), and marginally with total cholesterol levels (p = 0.041).
High education level does not seem to have a protective effect favoring a healthier lifestyle and being enrolled in health-related areas does not seem either to positively affect students' behaviors. Increased risk factors for non-transmissible diseases in university students raise concerns about their well-being. These results should support the implementation of health promotion and prevention programs at universities.
评估大学生学术生活对健康状况的影响。
本研究为纵向研究，纳入了来自葡萄牙阿威罗大学的 154 名本科生，随访观察至少两年。采用问卷收集社会人口学和行为特征。测量学生的体重、身高、血压、血清葡萄糖、血清脂质和血清同型半胱氨酸水平。采用线性混合效应模型进行回归分析，允许参与者水平的随机效应。
与新生相比，暴露于学术生活的学生中血脂异常（44.0%比 28.6%）、超重（16.3%比 12.5%）和吸烟（19.3%比 0.0%）的发生率更高。大约 80%的学生不运动。总胆固醇、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）、甘油三酯、收缩压和身体活动水平与性别显著相关（p<0.001）。学术暴露与低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）水平升高（约 1.12 倍）相关，与总胆固醇水平略有相关（p=0.041）。
高学历似乎没有保护作用，有利于更健康的生活方式，而进入与健康相关的领域似乎也不会对学生的行为产生积极影响。大学生中与非传染性疾病相关的危险因素增加，引起了人们对他们健康的关注。这些结果应支持在大学实施健康促进和预防计划。
