Lifestyle and well-being of university students in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Mental health, academic motivation, and exercise participation remain critical issues for well-being of university students. This study aimed to explore lifestyle elements that influence mental health, academic motivation, and participation of three types of exercise among university stud...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Takemune Fukuie, Koshiro Inoue, Akihiko Yamaguchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia.edu Journals 2024-09-01
Series:Academia Mental Health & Well-Being
Online Access:https://www.academia.edu/123514592/Lifestyle_and_well_being_of_university_students_in_Japan_a_cross_sectional_study
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mental health, academic motivation, and exercise participation remain critical issues for well-being of university students. This study aimed to explore lifestyle elements that influence mental health, academic motivation, and participation of three types of exercise among university students. This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2022 and December 2022. A total of 240 first-year students (mean age: 18.70 ± 0.53 years; age range: 18–21; 166 female) participated in the study. Participants measured and recorded their lifestyle for a week using accelerometer and an Excel format. Measurements included daily step counts; dietary habits; sleep habits; exercise participation by type, such as aerobic exercise (AE), resistance exercise (RE), and flexibility exercise (FE); screen time; eye fatigue; club activities; part-time job time; depression; and academic motivation. Path analysis revealed that longer FE and higher subjective sleep quality predicted lower depression (β = −0.11, P < 0.05; β =−0.23, P < 0.001). Screen time commonly predicted depression (β = 0.11, P < 0.05) and academic motivation (β = −0.15, P < 0.05). Frequency of exercise less than 5 min commonly predicted total time of AE (β = 0.20, P < 0.01), RE (β = 0.23, P < 0.001), and FE (β = 0.21, P < 0.001). Decreasing screen time could be a common key factor for good mental health and academic motivation. Increasing short-term frequent exercise could be an implementable strategy for increasing participation in all three types of exercise.
ISSN:2997-9196