Young adult stage: Exploring clustered behaviours and their impact on the health of university students

Abstract

The transition to university life frequently entails significant lifestyle changes, including increased independence, academic pressure, and social demands, which can lead to the adoption of unhealthy behaviours and a decline in overall well-being. The purposes of this study are to identify different lifestyle behaviour patterns in Chilean and Spanish university students according to their sleep duration, breakfast status, physical activity levels, sitting time and mode of commuting, and to determine their association with fitness components. A total of 2269 university students (52.9 % women), with an average age of 26.8 ± 6.0 years old, participated in this study. Reliable self-report questionnaires were used to measure different lifestyle behaviours patterns and physical fitness components. A two-step cluster analysis was performed to examine the different lifestyle behaviour patterns. Logistic regression models were used to determine the associations. Three different lifestyle patterns were identified. Students in Cluster 2 and 3 were more likely to report higher cardiorespiratory fitness (odds ratio [OR]: 1.35, p = 0.015; OR: 1.37; p = 0.038, respectively) and muscular strength (only significant for Cluster 2, OR: 1.29; p = 0.038) than students in Cluster 1. Considering the unique challenges and lifestyle adjustments associated with university life, the finding of this study could be clinically relevant and have important implications for future practice oriented to the public health and adult population, as both components of physical fitness are powerful markers of physical, psychological, and social well-being in this population.