College student’s health: a bibliographic review
Abstract
Introduction: The transition to adult life, often represented by college, is very significant for the student, and decisive in the development of future life patterns. Considering this, it is in the interest of public health to understand the picture of the college student's health. The context of health at university is influenced by several factors, that vary between the physical and psychological, the alarming and mild, and encompasses the most diverse risk groups. Thus, understanding this picture is fundamental to arranging public policies that positively affect the youth of today and the adulthood of tomorrow. Objectives: To analyze the college student's health, and, specifically, the students in the health sector. Furthermore, we sought out to verify the main factors that influence the picture and to understand the different extent to which they influence the students. Method: The search was conducted from 2012 to 2020 in the databases SciELO, CAPES and Medline. Were utilized the words “health”, “student”, “college student” and “factors”. In the beginning, 202 articles were obtained, and, after the reading of the titles, were included only the ones concerning the factors associated with the variation of health in college students. After screening, only 13 could be used in the making of the article. Results and discussion: Students suffer from psychological disorders. The incidence of common mental disorder in university students is higher than in the general population. The same is true for anxiety and depression. Considering this, we searched for factors that cause these problems and found: sociodemographic factors, such as gender and income; relational, such as the existence of a support network; academics; psychological, such as coping strategies and health, like pre-existing conditions and change to the university lifestyle. As for the latter, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and lack of leisure and sleep were found harmful. In the students of health courses, these problems were intensified, with the addition of other factors specific to the area. Conclusion: the health of university students and student’s in the health sector, in particular, is impaired and in worse condition when compared to the general population. This scenario must be faced in order to reduce complications resulting from the neglect of this age bracket’s health. Thus, knowing the risk factors, it was possible to understand the healthy habits necessary for the well-being of students. With this knowledge, it is possible to outline policies aimed at improving the quality of life for university students.
Keywords: “Health”, “College students”, “Factors”
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