Behavioural risk factors and psychophysical well-being among University students in Pavia Colleges

Pavia, Italy, is one of the oldest university city campuses in Europe and the venue for 16 Colleges, hosting around 2,500 Italian and international students (10% of the whole student population). Colleges represent a distinctive identity of the city and quite a unicum in the Italian academic system. Since leaving their parents’ homes and starting University has an impact on young adults’ health behaviours, potentially impairing their future life pathways, we investigated students’ health status and well-being through a rigorous assessment of lifestyles and behavioural risk factors. A cross-sectional online survey was designed and administered to students living in Pavia's Colleges. The questionnaire was structured into five sections, aimed at collecting information on university careers, lifestyles and behavioural risk factors, psychological well-being, and experience in residences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Where available, validated structured scales were used to gather specific study's endpoints (i.e., IPAQ, Audit-C, Medi-Lite, GHQ-12, BHS and 3-item loneliness scale). Of the 1199 students enrolled between March and August 2022, 814 subjects participated in the study. Regarding the most common behavioural risk factors, smokers were 25.2% of our sample, while at-risk alcohol consumption and regular cannabis use stood at 42.9% and 4.0%, respectively. Around 17% of the students gambled 1-2 times/week, and 4.5% did not take measures to prevent sexually transmitted infections. In terms of psycho-physical well-being, the level of physical activity was inadequate in 11.7% of the subjects, and the results of the mental health tests showed a risk for loneliness (3-item loneliness score≥6) in 36.9% and for hopelessness (BHS≥6) in 17.7%. Our findings may provide useful information to tailor the most appropriate health promotion and health education interventions so as to design a culture for well-being across the whole lifespan. KEY MESSAGES: • Our study offers a comprehensive overview of the student population residing in colleges, providing representative data. • Promoting healthy behavioral risk factors early in life, with a life course perspective, is crucial to enhancing individuals’ chances for a healthy life.