Prevalence, risk, and protective factors of health among Irish university students

BACKGROUND: Young adulthood (18-25 y) is associated with increased engagement with risky health behaviours, with those in transitionary phases most vulnerable. The transition to higher education (HE) make such settings important in health promotion. However, global evidence suggests that the health-related behaviours of HE students are both sub-optimal, and worsening. Our objectives, therefore, are to determine prevalence and risk of various health behaviours, and to identify protective factors in Irish HE students. METHODS: Using an anonymous, repeated measures (annually 2019-2022) cross-sectional student survey of health behaviours (physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, healthy eating, healthy environment, addictive behaviours, and sexual health), data on 4924 participants (2019:N=1302, 2020:N=1128, 2021:N=967, 2022:N=1527), 58.5% identifying as female (2877), aged [mean(SD)] 21.8 (6.3) years are eligible. Most respondents (60.4%, N = 2539) are undergraduates in first year. RESULTS: Preliminary prevalence data show vaping has risen from 10.8% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2022. Those reporting poor mental health (MHI-5) has also increased from 17.4% in 2019 to 21.5% in 2022. Similarly, happiness declined from 2019 to 2022 (2019, 6.5, (1.92) | 2022, 6.09 (2.00). Further work will aim to calculate prevalence of health indicators (weighted means and 95% CIs) each year; dichotomise variables where necessary and perform logistic regression to determine if health behaviours (i.e., substance use, physical activity etc.) are associated with illness indicators (i.e., GAD, general mental health, BMI, happiness etc.), controlling for gender, economic status, course of study, marital status, sexual orientation, age and underlying health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: While the results so far are concerning, they align with existent literature. Outcomes may be of interest to HE health services and policy makers in determining how to optimise the student health. KEY MESSAGES: • The health of students in HE settings is at risk. • Emphasis should be placed on factors that enhance the health of students.