Modeling Extracurricular Activity Participation with Physical and Mental Health in College Students Over Time

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Am Coll Health
• Personal Author:
  Yao, Buwen ; Takata, Sandy C. ; Mack, Wendy J. ; Roll, Shawn C.
• Description:
  Objective:
  
  To describe extracurricular activity participation and explore its relationship with college students’ health.
  
  Participants:
  
  159 college students majoring in dental hygiene or occupational therapy.
  
  Methods:
  
  Data were collected prospectively at baseline, one- and two-year follow-ups. Self-reported participation in extracurricular activities over the past six months was grouped into eight categories: Fitness, Sports, Creative arts, Leisure, Social, Work, Caregiving, and Animal care. Physical and mental health were measured using SF-36, a valid tool measuring general health.
  
  Results:
  
  Participation in fitness, sports, creative arts, and work significantly decreased at one-year and two-year follow-ups (p<0.01). Work/volunteer activity participation was associated with poorer physical health (β=−1.4, 95% CI: (−2.2, −0.5), p<0.01), but a change from non-participation to some participation in work/volunteer activity was associated with better mental health (β=2.6, 95% CI (0.3, 4.9), p=0.04).
  
  Conclusions:
  
  Educators should consider the potential impact of maintaining extracurricular activities on college students’ health when designing academic courses.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Humans Leisure Activities Mental Health Sports Students Universities
• Keywords:
  College Student Extracurricular Activity Health SF-36 Well-being
• Source:
  J Am Coll Health. 71(4):1232-1240
• Pubmed ID:
  34242536
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8742832
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R01 OH010665/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  71
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:f88135a9933db3cd0b6ca3c7ec3e023729af021918a4908ae6f64fc11eb350a9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/113240/cdc_113240_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 366.25 KB ]