Perception of Health Among College Students
Dija Cobb, Senior Paper Presentation, Department of Health and Human Performance, Johnson C. Smith University, April 19, 2016
Abstract
Perception of health is how one views their self in a physical, mental, and social
manner. Health can be defined as the state of being free from illness or injury, or a
persons mental or physical condition (Adams, Barnes, Vickerie, 2008). As rates of
obesity and unhealthy eating behaviors continue to rise researchers have began to
examine psychosocial issues related to weight management strategies among
collegiate students (Harring, 2010).The significance of my study was to discover
how college students perceive their health. The purpose of this study was to
examine perception of health among college students.
A convenient sample of students from classes in the Department of Health and Human
Performance at a small southeastern private historically black college and university were
utilized in the study. Data was collected using a modified version of the Short-Form
36 survey (Stewart & Ware, 1992) . The questions utilized I feel responses and
health related responses.
Chi square analysis was utilized to determine the difference between demographic
categories and the Perception of Health Among College Student questions , alpha = .05.
36 students (90.0%) reported no when asked, if their health limits them climbing
one flight of stairs. 36 students (90%) reported no when asked if their health limits
them from lifting or carrying groceries. 35 students (87.5%) reported no when
asked if their health limits moderate activities such as moving a table, pushing a
vacuum, bowling, or playing golf.
Background
Weight gain among college students is a problem that is receiving
increased attention in the research literature (Wengreen & Moncur,
2009).
Some college students gain excessive weight as hey transition
from high school to college (Wengreen & Moncur, 2009).
The research found that although the average height of black and
white students was about the same, black men were on average
nearly nine pounds heavier than white men("Eating Habits and
Obesity among African-American College Students).
Research Hypotheses
1.) There will be no significant difference between the perception of
health among female and male students.
Methods and Data Analysis
Participants were African American college students in the Department of
Health and Human Performance.
Data was collected using a modified version of the Short-Form 36 survey
(Stewart & Ware, 1992) .
The questions utilized I feel responses and health related responses.
Sample questions on the questionnaire included: In general, would you say
your health is, how much bodily pain have you had during the past 4 weeks?
The variables of the study were the following;
Independent variable: Demographics
Dependent variable: Perception of Health among College Students.
Chi square analysis was utilized to determine the difference between
demographic categories and the Perception of Health Among College
Student questions .
The data was analyzed using .05 level of significance. The SPSS program
was used to perform the statistical analysis.
Results
Results
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