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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1461989
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Interaction between Health-promoting and Health Risk Behaviors in Health, Volume II View all 10 articles

Selected lifestyle factors as students transition from secondary school to university in Slovakia

Provisionally accepted
Alena Buková Alena Buková 1Petra Tomková Petra Tomková 1Ivan Uher Ivan Uher 1Tatiana Kimáková Tatiana Kimáková 2Ľuboš Vojtaško Ľuboš Vojtaško 3Ferdinand Salonna Ferdinand Salonna 1*
  • 1 Institute of Physical Education and Sport, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Hygiene, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia
  • 3 Institute of Languages, Social Sciences and Academic Sports, Technical University of Košice, Košice, KoSice, Slovakia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: The study aimed to evaluate self-perceived changes in lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity (PA), following the transition from secondary school to university. A secondary objective was to examine the relationship between lifestyle variables and weekly PA frequency. Key factors assessed included sleep quality, dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and PA frequency. Methods: The study surveyed 1,665 first-year undergraduate students at Slovak public universities (mean age: 20.73 years, SD ±1.39) using adapted versions of Healthy Lifestyle Questionnaire (CEVS-II) and the Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI). Data collection took place between December 2022 and February 2023. Results: Significant declines were observed in most lifestyle variables after students transitioned to university. The proportion of students engaging in irregular, or no PA increased from 37% before university to 46% during their studies (p < 0.01). Reports of tiredness upon waking also rose, from 52% to 64% (p < 0.01). Meal frequency decreased, particularly among males, with the percentage of students eating only 1-2 meals per day rising from 9% to 15% (p < 0.05). Conversely, the regularity of breakfast consumption increased, increasing from 65% to 73% (p < 0.01). No significant changes were observed in tobacco smoking habits. Conclusions: The findings highlight a notable reduction in PA and other lifestyle factors during the transition to university life. These results emphasize the need for targeted interventions to support healthy behaviours during this critical life phase.

    Keywords: Lifestyle Changes, physical activity, sleep quality, dietary habits, Alcohol 12 Consumption, Tobacco use, University Transition

    Received: 09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 18 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Buková, Tomková, Uher, Kimáková, Vojtaško and Salonna. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ferdinand Salonna, Institute of Physical Education and Sport, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.