There are a lot of positive things to come out of the traditional college experience. Education, independence, new experiences, and new people are just a few perks of this amazing adventure that people go on to further their education. However, this big life change can also have some negative health effects. From an unhealthy diet to risky behavior, certain lifestyle changes that are commonly associated with college life can contribute to health problems. Fortunately, knowing the health risks can help to combat them.
Weight Gain
We’ve all heard about the dreaded freshman 15 – referring to the extra 15 pounds that many college freshman have the tendency to pack on. The reason for the extra weight can be caused by a number of things. Without having a parent around to make sure you’re eating three well rounded meals at appropriate times, it can be easy for newly independent college students to indulge in pizza a few too many times a week. Stress, late night eating, skipping meals, and excessive drinking can also be contributors to some weight gain. Fortunately a little weight gain isn’t a huge health disadvantage and can be brought back on track in no time. Knowing the risks, eating a healthy breakfast, taking a little bit of time to exercise, and staying away from late night snacking will help to not fall victim to college weight gain.
Substance Abuse
The stereotypical college experience portrayed on television and in movies tends to involve a lot of binge drinking. This is true for some, maybe not for others, but it’s a common enough occurrence to mention. The college atmosphere is different depending on your peers and surroundings, but for some that atmosphere includes the use of drugs and alcohol which can be extremely harmful to your health. There are many dangers involved with excessive drinking that include physical, mental, and legal issues. The dangers associated with drug use are similar as well. In order to combat substance abuse issues, it’s important to educate college students on the dangers of drinking and using drugs and who to talk to about it.
Stress
College tends to be a stressful atmosphere with students having to handle school work, classes, tests, a social life, living on their own, new experiences, etc. It’s an overwhelming change in lifestyle and for some the stress can be too much. While stress is a relatively common issue that seems inevitable in many of our lives, extreme stress can have negative effects on health. Everyone handles stress differently, but for some stress can cause weight gain, anxiety, depression, headaches, stomach problems, insomnia, and body aches among other things. Consider looking into some ways to help limit stress including yoga, meditation, hiking, reading, or doing something fun. Personal health days are just as important as study days and it’s important to take note of that before the stress becomes overwhelming.
Common Illness
Getting sick happens to all of us at some point, but college kids tend to get sick more often. This is due to living in such close quarters with so many people as well as perhaps having a subpar diet, more exposure to substance abuse, more stress, and a lack of sleep. Living an unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t allow your body to fight off as many things as they might be able to fight off otherwise. Fortunately there are clinics on college campuses available to help combat these common illnesses, but many college students find themselves fighting their colds on their own without their parents around to tell them to get some cough syrup. With demanding school schedules it’s common for college students to attend class regardless of their illness, which creates even more exposure. In order to combat the issue of the common cold it’s important to encourage a healthy lifestyle, stress the importance of taking advantage of the clinic, and to stay in bed if you’re sick.
Sexual Health
College can be an adventure full of risk taking behavior for some students. One of those risks can potentially be involving sexual health. For those that are exploring sex in college, it’s important to be educated on the necessity of sexual health and the risks involved with unsafe sex. Treatment and prevention are both important aspects to learning about STD’s and pregnancy if you’re having sex in college and some students may be engaging in sexually reckless behavior. With clinics on campus, Planned Parenthood, and sexual education courses provided long before college, the hope is that many students will already understand the risks associated with unprotected sex.
The college experience is different for everyone, and these health risks are not destined to be something that every college student has to deal with. However, the more that each student knows about the risks the more opportunity they will have to work on preventing them. College should be about making new friends, embracing independence, learning new things, and working hard – not about negative health effects. The more we know about them, the more we can prevent them and more college students can focus on staying healthy and embracing the journey that is furthering their education.