Citation

Ford DS, Goode CR. J. Am. Coll. Health 1994; 42(5): 206-210.

Affiliation

Department of Physical Education and Recreation, Howard University, Washington, DC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8201133

Abstract

The authors identify specific health-related behaviors of African American college students and compare them with the students' perceptions of corresponding health issues. Among students surveyed, the rate of cigarette smoking (4%) was very low compared with smoking rates found in a national survey (14%); but alcohol consumption was relatively high (63%), although lower than the national average of 91%. More men than women smoked, but more women than men reported they drank alcoholic beverages. Most students (90.2%) said they did not usually eat breakfast, 73.6% reported that their diets were not nutritionally balanced, and the majority (55.4%) were not involved in daily physical activity. More than half (63%) of the students reported satisfactorily handling stress, and 74.1% indicated that they were sexually active. Respondents perceived the most important health issues facing college students as HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), birth control, date rape, stress management, suicide, and alcohol and other drugs.

Language: en