ABSTRACT
Physical activity protects against heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer. Fewer than 40% of African American women obtain recommended amounts of physical activity. Healthy Campus 2010 identifies physical activity as a top priority for improving the health of college students. However, during college, women tend to reduce their levels of physical activity. This study examines the relationship between campus housing and physical activity behaviors in a sample of African American female college students (N = 138). Participants who lived on campus were significantly more likely to meet the recommended amounts of both moderate and vigorous physical activity than students who lived off campus (44% vs. 19%). The results demonstrate the importance of campus fitness resources in explaining the role that the built environment can play in increased physical activity among this population. Recommendations for the use of the campus's built environment and fitness resources are provided.
Subject(s)
Black or African American , Exercise , Fitness Centers , Housing , Universities , Women's Health , Black or African American/education , Black or African American/ethnology , Black or African American/history , Black or African American/psychology , Exercise/physiology , Exercise/psychology , Female , Fitness Centers/history , Heart Diseases/ethnology , Heart Diseases/history , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Housing/history , Humans , Hypertension/ethnology , Hypertension/history , Hypertension/psychology , Neoplasms/ethnology , Neoplasms/history , Obesity/ethnology , Obesity/history , Physical Fitness/history , Physical Fitness/physiology , Physical Fitness/psychology , Recreation/history , Recreation/physiology , Recreation/psychology , United States/ethnology , Universities/history , Women's Health/ethnology , Women's Health/historyABSTRACT
This paper examined health behaviors (seatbelt use, tobacco use, and obesity status) of 127 black male college students using data obtained from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. The majority of the participants were freshmen and sophomores (70%), full time students (95%), and lived on campus (85%). The results indicated that black males often failed to use seatbelts while riding as a passenger (69%) or driving (48%). Although 15% of the students smoked, 1/3 of the smokers began smoking during college. Approximately 50% of the students were overweight or obese; among students attempting to lose weight, exercise versus nutrient intake was used as a means to lose weight. The study recommendations included the need to increase educational efforts to alert black males to their risks for a premature death, and to provide programming/mentoring initiatives to assist males in dealing with stress and discrimination that may impact their health-related decision making. The implications of this study suggest that even educated black males are at risk for premature disease and disability as a result of their health behaviors.
