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Behaviors associated with chronic disease can become habituated during young adulthood and may influence students' academic achievement, affecting their future health and economic prospects. However, more research is needed to understand this relationship. This study therefore examined the connection, both individually and collectively, between undergraduate students' chronic disease prevention behaviors and academic performance. We examined the relationship between 14 positive health behaviors related to diet, physical activity, sedentary screen time, and tobacco product use and cumulative grade point average (GPA; A, B, C, D/F) using the Spring 2023 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III (N = 50,792 students; N = 125 institutions). Log binomial regressions produced adjusted prevalence ratios for performing each health behavior based on GPA, controlling for year in school, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and BMI. A composite health index was also calculated, and multivariate negative binomial regression examined the health index score by GPA category. Analyses found that A and B GPA categories were significantly different than D/F for all dietary behaviors, all physical activity behaviors, watching TV and gaming, and using vaping products. Students with a higher GPA had significantly more positive health behaviors based on the composite index than each proceeding GPA group. This study found a relationship between students' academic achievement and engagement in positive behaviors that prevent or mitigate chronic disease and is the first to examine college students' health behaviors cumulatively. Initiatives that support college student well-being may benefit students' academic success as well as reduce chronic disease risk.

Research studies examining the mental health of transgender individuals often focus on depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation through the use of clinic samples. However, little is known about the emerging adult (18–26 years old) transgender population and their mental health. The current study seeks to fill that gap by using a national dataset of college students (N = 547,727) to examine how transgender college students (n = 1143) differ from their cisgender peers regarding 12 different mental health conditions. Chi-square and regression analyses were conducted. Results demonstrate that transgender students have approximately twice the risk for most mental health conditions compared to cisgender female students. A notable exception is schizophrenia, in which transgender individuals have about seven times the risk compared to cisgender females. While these were significant findings, regression analyses indicate that being non-heterosexual is a greater predictor for mental health concerns. Implications for mental health practitioners at colleges and universities are discussed.

U.S. college students are a distinct population facing major challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, students were already experiencing substantial mental health concerns, putting both their health and academic success in jeopardy. College students now face increasing housing and food insecurity, financial hardships, a lack of social connectedness and sense of belonging, uncertainty about the future, and access issues that impede their academic performance and well-being. There is also reason to believe that COVID-19 is exacerbating inequalities for students of color and low-income students. We provide several recommendations for institutions of higher education to mitigate these obstacles, including engaging in data-driven decision making, delivering clear and informative messaging to students, prioritizing and expanding student support services, and using an equity framework to guide all processes.

As health professionals develop health communication for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we implore that these communication approaches do not include fear appeals. Fear appeals, also known as scare tactics, have been widely used to promote recommended preventive behaviors. We contend that unintended negative outcomes can result from fear appeals that intensify the already complex pandemic and efforts to contain it. We encourage public health professionals to reevaluate their desire to use fear appeals in COVID-19 health communication and recommend that evidence-based health communication be utilized to address the needs of a specific community, help people understand what they are being asked to do, explain step-by-step how to complete preventative behaviors, and consider external factors needed to support the uptake of behaviors. To aid health professionals in redirecting away from the use of fear appeals, we offer a phased approach to creating health communication messages during the COVID-19 crisis.

While rates of unintended pregnancy are declining among adolescents and young adults in the United States (US), rates remain higher than other industrialized nations and are associated with both educational and economic challenges. Studies examining young adult contraceptive practices are dated and limited in scope. Understanding current contraceptive use of young adults is critical to ensure intentional pregnancies. We used the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment III 2022-2023 national dataset to examine contraceptive use patterns among 30,568 sexually active 18- to 24-year-old college students at 4-year institutions. Differences based on students' biological sex, race/ethnicity, year in school and number of sexual partners in the last 12 months were examined. Prevalence estimates with confidence intervals were calculated; chi-square tests were used to assess initial bivariate differences and t-tests were used to determine significant pairwise comparisons. Bonferroni correction set the significance level to p<.001219. Most sexually active college students were using contraception (87.6%); however, there were significant differences among students based on demographic characteristics. Black, Latinx, and multiracial students and students with more than one sexual partner in the last 12 months were less likely to use contraception (ps < 0.001). There were also differences in the types of single and dual contraceptive methods used among students based on demographics. Significant differences based on race/ethnicity occurred across all methods and combinations of methods. Results indicated less consistent patterns of differences for sex, year in school, and number of sexual partners for single and dual use. This study provides a critical update on contraceptive use among US college students. The findings indicate which subgroups may be more at risk for an unintended pregnancy due to lower overall contraceptive use and use of methods that are less effective. Differences in race/ethnicity regarding contraceptive use continue to exist, and students with fewer years of education emerged as another essential group deserving attention. Improved awareness of methods and access to birth control are potential strategies to increase uptake. College health professionals and other clinical providers who work with US college students can use these findings to inform discussions with students who may need additional information about all available options.

In March 2020, most institutions of higher education (IHEs) closed their campuses and transitioned to online learning in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing for the foreseeable future, IHEs had the difficult task of determining their plans for the fall semester and the remainder of the 2020-2021 academic year. As of January 4, 2021, more than 20.5 million COVID-19 cases had been confirmed and more than 350 000 deaths were directly attributed to COVID-19 in the United States,1 and universities were considered one of the highest-risk settings for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.2 As of December 11, 2020, more than 397 000 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed on college campuses nationally,3 and COVID-19 cases on college campuses have been associated with community spread.4 Young adults who do not have comorbidities have been found to have prolonged illness after COVID-19 diagnosis.5 With 20 million enrolled students and an additional 4 million faculty and staff members in more than 6000 postsecondary institutions across the United States,6,7 IHEs have made and continue to make decisions about COVID-19 prevention that will have widespread implications for both people affiliated with IHEs and communities at large.

Background Individuals aged 15-24years are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States, and young women can face severe health consequences if STIs are left undiagnosed. Yet STI testing rates in this priority population remain low. Few studies incorporate health behavior theory to examine factors associated with STI testing among young women in the United States, which is vital for intervention development. This study therefore sought to identify the determinants of college-enrolled late adolescent women's intentions to be tested for common STIs in the next 12months using a theory-based approach. Methods Students who identified as female at a large Midwestern university completed an online survey about STIs (n =171). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between STI testing intention and the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) global constructs of attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control, supplemented by STI knowledge, STI stigma, and STI shame. Results Findings indicate that the RAA global constructs predicted STI testing intention (P Conclusions Future interventions aimed at increasing STI testing among young women should focus on beliefs underlying the RAA global constructs and especially young women's beliefs regarding other people's support for getting tested for STIs.

Background Accurate knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is imperative for young people's development and sexual health outcomes, but STI knowledge has been found to be inadequate among youth. Little is known about the factors that are associated with STI knowledge. This study therefore comprehensively assessed correlates of STI knowledge among late adolescents. Undergraduate students (n = 419) at a large public Midwestern university completed an online survey that assessed general STI knowledge using an established modified scale, demographics, sexual health and behavioural factors, and sources of STI information. Exploratory bivariate analyses were first conducted followed by a multiple linear regression examining the correlates initially identified as significantly and strongly associated with STI knowledge. Although many factors were significantly correlated with STI knowledge, gender, nationality, sexual identity, STI testing history, knowing someone diagnosed with an STI, prior school-based STI education, and receiving STI information from a healthcare provider were most strongly associated (P < 0.001 with medium or large effect sizes). All but prior school-based STI education were predictive of STI knowledge score (P = 0.103), with nationality (β = 0.172, P = 0.003) and gender (β = 0.147, P = 0.002) being the strongest predictors. Late adolescents' STI knowledge was universally low, but disparities existed and were related to a variety of characteristics. These findings expand the current literature on young people's STI knowledge and provide needed information to prioritise populations and methods for educational interventions in order to enhance STI knowledge among youth.

There has been a shift from using the term sexually transmitted disease (STD) to sexually transmitted infection (STI), primarily based on conjecture that STI is less stigmatizing. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding how the public actually perceives these terms. Students at a Midwestern university participated in an online survey and were randomized to the open-ended question \"What comes to mind when you think of the term sexually transmitted disease (STD)?\" (n = 205) or \"What comes to mind when you think of the term sexually transmitted infection (STI)?\" (n = 208). Conventional content analysis was conducted to identify response themes. Cross tabulations with the χ statistic determined the number of participants that endorsed each theme and any differences between the STD and STI responses. Almost all themes occurred in similar numbers across the STD and STI responses. Overarching themes for both terms were contracted through sex; specific STDs/STIs; severe; negative emotional affect; types of people who get STDs/STIs; physical symptoms; preventable; common; and treatable/curable. However, participants were more likely to mention that STDs were common (P = 0.030) and reported less negative emotional affect for STIs (P = 0.024). Two themes emerged only in the STI group: STDs (P = 0.001) and site of infection (P = 0.003). With some exceptions, late adolescents have overlapping conceptualizations of the terms STD and STI. The most commonly reported themes revealed likely areas of misinformation. Although language is an important aspect of health communication, more than a terminology change is needed to reduce the stigma associated with STDs/STIs.

College students face significant health concerns. In recent years, there has been an emergence of health-related residential learning communities (RLCs) at institutions of higher education, which endeavor to improve students’ academic and health outcomes by offering a communal living environment and programming. However, there is negligible literature describing health-related RLCs as a health promotion intervention, the kind of experience residents have, or the impact that health-related RLCs have on student outcomes. To begin to fill this gap, this article describes a health-themed RLC named HealthWave that was created at a private Southern university and the diverse stakeholders involved. It also summarizes results from a multimethod evaluation that included focus groups, an experience survey, and a quasi-experimental study with non-HealthWave students in the same residence hall as the comparison group. HealthWave was a feasible intervention to implement and residents provided very positive feedback about their experience, although the impact of HealthWave on students’ health behavior is unclear. Lessons learned from implementing and evaluating HealthWave are shared in order to inform health promotion professionals’ future programmatic and evaluation efforts.