Background : This study examined the relationship between physical activity (PA) and academic performance and retention among college students using accelerometer data while controlling for sex and socioeconomic background. Methods : Data were collected from 4643 fi rst-year college students at a private university in the south-central United States who began their studies in the Fall semesters between 2015 and 2022. Daily step counts were collected using accelerometers worn as part of the institutions PA requirements. The expected family contribution was calculated based on information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Grade point average (GPA) and retention data were collected directly from of fi cial university databases. Results : Female students generally had lower median age and steps count and a higher median GPA than males. The retention rates from fall to spring and fall to fall were 95.9% and 83.8%, respectively, with no signi fi cant difference in retention rates between males and females. GPA was signi fi cantly positively correlated with steps, expected family contribution, and age, and negatively correlated with being male and having an expected family contribution of zero. The fall to spring retention rate was signi fi cantly positively correlated with steps and GPA. Conclusions : The study ' s fi ndings suggest that increasing levels of PA, as measured by daily step counts, may be effective in promoting academic performance and retention, even when controlling for sex and socioeconomic background. The use of device-based measures of PA in this study contributes to the literature on this topic, and policymakers and educational institutions should consider interventions focused on academic performance and physical activity to help students persist.

BackgroundPersonality traits are known factors that may influence levels of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle measures and behaviors that ultimately lead to health problems later in life.Participants and procedureThe aim of this study was to examine the association between personality traits (HEXACO) and levels of physical activity and resting heart rate (RHR) – measured using Fitbits, BMI, and a self-reported whole-person healthy lifestyle score for N = 2580 college students. Data were collected and analyzed for students enrolled in a University Success type course from August 2017 to May 2021. The relationships between HEXACO personality traits and various physical activity and healthy lifestyle behaviors were analyzed by building several multiple regression models using R version 4.0.2.ResultsIn general, students who are extraverted were more physically active and students who are more open to experience had a higher RHR, even when controlling for gender. Females and males however had different profiles as to how personality influenced physical activity and other health-related measures. Male extraverts with high negative emotionality scores tend to be more physically active, whereas females tend to be more physically active when they were high in extroversion and conscientiousness, and low in openness to experience. BMI values were higher for female participants with high honesty-humility and low agreeableness and conscientiousness scores. Females also had a lower RHR for high honesty-humility and emotionality and low conscientiousness scores.ConclusionsPersonality can influence levels of physical activity, RHR, and BMI. This is especially true of women. Being aware of one’s personality and the relationship of personality traits to levels of physical activity and other measures of leading a healthy lifestyle can be beneficial in determining strategies to improve long-term health outcomes.

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to investigate if leading a physically active and healthy lifestyle can prevent the weight gain typically experienced during the freshman year of college – the ‘Freshman 15’. Methods. Study participants (N = 525) were from three cohorts of incoming students (2018–2020) at a mid-sized university in the West South-Central United States. The weight of each study participant was measured at three points over a year: beginning of their first semester, beginning of their second semester, and beginning of their third semester. During the study, students were encouraged to lead physically active and healthy lifestyles and to exercise daily. Weight changes at sixth months and one-year intervals were recorded as percentages. Results. Freshmen weight gain/loss depended upon initial weight with freshmen who arrived on campus with relatively lower weights (≤100 kg) tending to gain weight, especially males, whilst freshmen who arrived on campus with relatively higher weights (≥100 kg) tended to lose weight. This finding was both more apparent and more statistically significant at the 1-year mark than at the 6-months mark. Conclusions. Several previous studies have linked freshmen weight gain to initial weight with students with higher initial weights gaining the most. However, our results show that maintaining a physically active and healthy lifestyle when entering college reverses this trend – with students with high initial weights losing weight. Thus, living a physically active and healthy lifestyle, which includes aerobic exercise, can prevent the fat mass weight gain often experienced by college freshmen.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic adversely disrupted university student educational experiences worldwide, with consequences that included increased stress levels and unhealthy sedentary behavior. Aim: This study aimed to quantify the degree of impact that COVID-19 had on the levels of physical activity and stress of university students by utilizing wearable fitness tracker data and standard stress survey instrument scores before and during the pandemic. Methods: We collected Fitbit heart rate and physical activity data, and the results of a modified Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) stress survey from 2,987 university students during the Fall 2019 (residential instruction; before COVID-19) and Fall 2020 (hybrid instruction; during COVID-19) semesters. Results: We found indicators of increased sedentary behavior during the pandemic. There was a significant decrease in both the levels of physical activity as measured by mean daily step count (↓636 steps/day; p = 1.04 · 10-9) and minutes spent in various heart rate zones (↓58 minutes/week; p = 2.20 · 10-16). We also found an increase in stressors during the pandemic, primarily from an increase in the number of students who experienced the “death of a close family member” (38.8%), with the number even higher for the population of students who opted to stay home and attend classes virtually (41.4%). Conclusions: This study quantifies the decrease in levels of physical activity and notes an increase in the number of students who experienced the death of a close family member, a known stressor, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings allow for more informed student-health-focused interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions experienced by academic communities worldwide.