Last of three parts.<\/p>\n
No discussion about the health and wellness of college students would be complete without addressing what health care and university experts consider the two most dangerous behaviors on college campuses: binge drinking and unprotected sexual activity.<\/p>\n
It is not my intent to offend anyone\u2019s religious and moral values, but I do aim to provoke direct and meaningful conversation between parents, students and religious leaders. To prevent serious health problems in college, parents should share their experience and discuss their values regarding sexual activity and alcohol consumption with children before they leave home to live independently in college. If you are unable to have a direct conversation about these issues, consider doing what several readers have done: Mail a copy of this column to your child.<\/p>\n
Here are 10 tips to keep yourself healthy in college, courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics:<\/p>\n
Sleep<\/p>\n
Somehow, despite a busy academic and social schedule, you must get enough rest.<\/p>\n
Lack of sleep may be the single unhealthiest habit of college students. It can lead to many negative consequences, such as lack of concentration, poor emotional stability, and vulnerability to germs and disease. While you may get by on three or four hours of sleep for short periods of time, eventually your body will take control and shut down.<\/p>\n
Do your best to develop a regular sleep pattern, and factor in short naps to catch up on needed rest if necessary.<\/p>\n
Diet<\/p>\n
The \u201cfreshman 15\u201d \u2014 the idea that first-year college students tends to gain weight \u2014 is no joke. Skipping breakfast, pigging out on junk food, late-night eating, and drinking high-calorie soda and beer all factor into weight gain and poor dietary habits.<\/p>\n
Make time to eat breakfast. Snack on yogurt, fruit and nuts. Fill up on a healthy salad. Avoid a constant diet of fried foods and sweets.<\/p>\n
Water<\/p>\n
Even older adults forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Carry a water bottle and skip the soda.<\/p>\n
Get regular checkups<\/p>\n
See your doctor when home on semester break for an annual checkup, or more often if needed. Some college health centers offer this service. Many serious problems can be avoided with early detection.<\/p>\n
Flu shots, vaccines and masks<\/p>\n
Remember, college campuses breed germs, and most schools offer inexpensive flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines. Wearing a mask to protect yourself and others.<\/p>\n
Exercise<\/p>\n
Make time to exercise regularly \u2014 at least 30 to 45 minutes, three to five days per week. Walk, run, bike, lift weights, play tennis or racquetball, or swim. Colleges have the best facilities for sports and exercise. Just do something. It will help you feel and sleep better.<\/p>\n
Relax<\/p>\n
College is a very hectic environment. Make time to wind down. Read a book, go for a run, meditate, do yoga, or walk and have good conversations with friends.<\/p>\n
Emotional health<\/p>\n
Emotional health is a vital component of being a healthy person. College life can be very stressful. Depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders and homesickness are just some of the emotional problems common among college students.<\/p>\n
If you feel emotionally unhealthy, get professional help. All colleges have trained counselors equipped to assist you.<\/p>\n
Drink sensibly<\/p>\n
Binge drinking is one of the most dangerous behaviors on college campuses.<\/p>\n
According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 30% of college students reported binge drinking in the past month \u2014 with binge drinking defined as consuming five drinks or more on one occasion for men and four drinks or more for women. Aside from just wanting to get drunk, common reasons for binge drinking include status, campus culture, peer pressure and academic stress.<\/p>\n
Binge drinkers are more likely to be victims of poor academic performance, addiction, trauma, auto accidents, assault, unprotected sex and sexual assault, and to die. Parents: Talk to your children.<\/p>\n
Safe sex<\/p>\n
Promiscuous sex is physically and emotionally unhealthy. And unprotected sex can be life altering.<\/p>\n
A recent report from the National College Health Association found more than half of college students report having sex in the 12 months preceding the survey. And studies reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that almost 80% of college students 18 to 24 years old had sexual intercourse at least one time during college; 73% reported having unprotected sex, and 68% of this group did not believe that they were at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.<\/p>\n
College students: Get the HPV vaccine. And again, parents: Talk to your children.<\/p>\n
Paul J. Mackarey, P.T., D.H.Sc., is a doctor in health sciences specializing in orthopedic and sports physical therapy. He is in private practice in Scranton and Clarks Summit and is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Email: mackareypt@gmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last of three parts. No discussion about the health and wellness of college students would be complete without…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[11466,1057,139,178,180,179,289],"class_list":["post-285133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-news","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}