› › The Impact Of Social Support On The Physical Activity And Eating Habits Of International College Students

The Impact of Social Support on the Physical Activity and Eating Habits of International College Students

Author : Mohammed Alshehri

Publisher :

Page : 336 pages

File Size : 49,53 MB

Release : 2021

Category : College students

ISBN :

Get eBook

Book Description

Introduction. International students in the United States have nearly doubled in number over the last decade and now account for more than five percent of all college students. Upon moving to the US, many students adopt unhealthy dietary and physical activity behaviors, perhaps related to a lack of familiarity and social support. This cross-sectional study assessed the impact of social support on international college students' dietary and physical activity behaviors. Methods. International students (n = 318) enrolled in one of five public universities in a Midwest state completed a comprehensive survey assessing self-reported eating habits, physical activity behaviors, and perceived social support, using the Social Support for Eating Habits and Exercise scales, the Starting the Conversation (STC) scale, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Comparisons were made to explore the impact of perceived social support on international students' dietary and physical activity behaviors. Results. Region of origin and family's social support for discouraging healthy eating habits both significant predictors of poor eating habits. For every one unit increase of family social support that discouraged healthy eating habits (ranging from 5 to 25), there was a 0.14 unit increase in the STC scale (ranging from 8 to 24, wherein higher numbers represent less healthy diets). Additionally, region of origin, academic level, and friends' social support for exercise were each significant predictors of physical activity behaviors. Friends' support for exercise was positively associated with higher total physical activity Metabolic Equivalents of Task (MET) counts; for every one unit increase of friends' social support for exercise (i.e., ranging from 5 to 50), there was an 81.1 METs-minutes/week increase in total physical activity MET count. Friends' social support for exercise was a significant predictor of participants' physical activity levels (i.e., inactive, minimally active, and health enhancing physical activity "HEPA"), with increasing support associated with higher likelihood of HEPA compared to inactivity. Discussion. Transitioning to the United States may have negative impacts on international students' dietary and physical activity behaviors. We found that international students' unhealthy eating habits increased when their families discouraged healthy eating habits. Additionally, we found that increased levels of friends' social support for exercise was associated with increased physical activity MET counts and physical activity levels. As university administrators and wellness programs continue to explore interventions promoting positive health behaviors among international students, they should consider including elements that focus specifically on friendship social support as a motivating factor for increasing physical activity behaviors as well as including family members to increase social support for healthy eating habits.



Educating the Student Body

Author : Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 503 pages

File Size : 10,2 MB

Release : 2013-11-13

Category : Medical

ISBN : 0309283140

Get eBook

Book Description

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.



Rethinking Education Across Borders

Author : Uttam Gaulee

Publisher : Springer Nature

Page : 324 pages

File Size : 37,57 MB

Release : 2020-02-14

Category : Education

ISBN : 9811523991

Get eBook

Book Description

This book focuses on critical issues and perspectives concerning globally mobile students, aspects that have grown in importance thanks to major geopolitical, economic, and technological changes around the globe (i.e., in and across major origins and destinations of international students). Over the past few decades, the field of international higher education and scholarship has developed robust areas of research that guide current policy, programs, and pedagogy. However, many of the established narratives and wisdoms that dominate research agendas, scope, and foci have become somewhat ossified and are unable to reflect recent political upheavals and other changes (e.g. the Brexit, Trump era, and Belt and Road Initiative) that have disrupted a number of areas including mobility patterns and recruitment practices, understanding and supporting students, engagement of global mobile students with their local counterparts, and the political economy of international education at large. By re-assessing established issues and perspectives in light of the emerging global/local situations, the contributing authors – all experts on international education – share insights on policies and practices that can help adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities for institutions, scholars, and other stakeholders in international higher education. Including theoretical, empirical, and practitioner-based methods and perspectives provided by scholars from around the world, the book offers a unique and intriguing resource.



#Socialsupport for Diet and Physical Activity Via Web 2.0

Author : Bethany Kies

Publisher :

Page : 418 pages

File Size : 35,63 MB

Release : 2016

Category : College students

ISBN :

Get eBook

Book Description

Like other adults in the U.S., college students, have high rates of obesity and overweight, and they have a pattern of poor diet and physical inactivity. Emerging adulthood is a key developmental period for building life-long habits and behaviors, and health theory suggests that one’s social environment and amount of social support affects health behaviors, particularly among women. With the technological advances of Web 2.0, or social media, the opportunity for providing social support for health behaviors through the online social environment now exists; social media is a game changer for both research and practice related to understanding the social environment. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to describe the ways in which social networking sites (SNS) provide college females with social support for their diet and/or physical activity goals. The social cognitive theory and previous research on the construct of social support, provided a conceptual framework for this study. With a purposive sample of 12 college females, data from three sources were collected over the course of four weeks. Journal responses and daily observations of each participant’s social networking site activity via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest were collected the first three weeks, and interviews were conducted the fourth week. Qualitative analysis was conducted at both the participant and group level, and results inform how the women engage with the topics of diet and physical activity during their daily SNS usage the ways in which their SNS experience provides them with support for diet and/or physical activity goals. Of the five functional measures of social support, participants most often indicated receiving emotional support, informational support and validation support from SNS usage. The findings of this study highlight current social media practices in college females, which can better inform the planning and implementation of health behavior programs that include an online, social component. Furthermore, the results serve to highlight examples of social support naturally occurring in the online environment, thereby adding to the body of literature about ways in which social support influence health outcomes.



U.S. Health in International Perspective

Author : National Research Council

Publisher : National Academies Press

Page : 421 pages

File Size : 23,45 MB

Release : 2013-04-12

Category : Social Science

ISBN : 0309264146

Get eBook

Book Description

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.



Campus Support Services, Programs, and Policies for International Students

Author : Bista, Krishna

Publisher : IGI Global

Page : 383 pages

File Size : 35,63 MB

Release : 2016-01-12

Category : Education

ISBN : 1466697539

Get eBook

Book Description

Study abroad programs have proven beneficial for both the international student as well as the domestic community and school population interacting with the student. In an effort to promote cultural awareness, intercultural communications as well as opportunities for future study abroad program success, universities must take care to provide international students with the resources necessary to succeed while studying abroad. Campus Support Services, Programs, and Policies for International Students explores the role of university administration in successful implementation, regulation, and support of study abroad experiences. Highlighting essential topics relating to legal issues, safety concerns, curriculum development, and intercultural communication, this research-based publication is an ideal reference source for university administrators, school counselors, policymakers, and researchers interested in study abroad program implementation, regulation, and success factors at the administrative level.



The Effects of Communal Eating on Perceived Social Support and Academic Success in First Year College Students

Author : Abigail Bauer

Publisher :

Page : pages

File Size : 45,84 MB

Release : 2012

Category :

ISBN :

Get eBook

Book Description

Family meals and meals with caregivers can be sources of social support. Current literature indicates that social support is important for physical and psychological health and well-being. There has been no published research looking at the role of communal meals in collegiate dining centers as sources of social support. This study investigated the possibility that communal meals in a collegiate dining center and eating with other people in these settings may be related to perceived social support, academic success, frequency of family meals, and/or degree of involvement in college extracurricular activities. To investigate these relationships, first-year Kansas State University students living in the residence halls of the Derby Complex (Ford, Haymaker, Moore, and West Halls) were administered a survey about dining center usage habits. The survey included the previously tested Interpersonal Relationship Inventory Short Form by V.P. Tilden (n.d.) as a measure of perceived social support. Participants granted access to their first semester Kansas State University grade point average and semester dining center usage data. Surveys were completed online (n=216) and in paper format (n=89) for a total of 303 participants. There was no significant difference between the demographics of those that completed the online versus paper formats of the survey. Therefore, the online and paper formats of the survey were analyzed together. The data were analyzed for all participants and for males (n=94) and females (n=209) separately. Results revealed multiple significant relationships (p