scholarly journals The Effects of Sleep Quality and Resilience on Perceived Stress, Dietary Behaviors, and Alcohol Misuse: A Mediation-Moderation Analysis of Higher Education Students from Asia, Europe, and North America during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
Chen Du ◽  
Megan Chong Hueh Zan ◽  
Min Jung Cho ◽  
Jenifer I. Fenton ◽  
Pao Ying Hsiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Dietary Behaviors ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Relationship

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the already high levels of stress that higher education students experience. Stress influences health behaviors, including those related to dietary behaviors, alcohol, and sleep; yet the effects of stress can be mitigated by resilience. To date, past research studying the connections between dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep, and resilience commonly investigated singular relationships between two of the constructs. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships between these constructs in a more holistic manner using mediation and moderation analyses. Methods: Higher education students from China, Ireland, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and the United States were enrolled in a cross-sectional study from April to May 2020, which was during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for most participants. An online survey, using validated tools, was distributed to assess perceived stress, dietary behaviors, alcohol misuse, sleep quality and duration, and resilience. Results: 2254 students completed the study. Results indicated that sleep quality mediated the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors as well as the relationship between perceived stress and alcohol misuse. Further, increased resilience reduced the strength of the relationship between perceived stress and dietary behaviors but not alcohol misuse. Conclusion: Based on these results, higher education students are likely to benefit from sleep education and resilience training, especially during stressful events.

scholarly journals Health Behaviors of Higher Education Students from 7 Countries: Poorer Sleep Quality during the COVID-19 Pandemic Predicts Higher Dietary Risk

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-30
Author(s):  
Chen Du ◽  
Megan Chong Hueh Zan ◽  
Min Jung Cho ◽  
Jenifer I. Fenton ◽  
Pao Ying Hsiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Sitting Time ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Dietary Risk

Health behaviors of higher education students can be negatively influenced by stressful events. The global COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to characterize and compare health behaviors across multiple countries and to examine how these behaviors are shaped by the pandemic experience. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in universities in China, Ireland, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States (USA) were recruited into this cross-sectional study. Eligible students filled out an online survey comprised of validated tools for assessing sleep quality and duration, dietary risk, alcohol misuse and physical activity between late April and the end of May 2020. Health behaviors were fairly consistent across countries, and all countries reported poor sleep quality. However, during the survey period, the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the health behaviors of students in European countries and the USA more negatively than Asian countries, which could be attributed to the differences in pandemic time course and caseloads. Students who experienced a decline in sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher dietary risk scores than students who did not experience a change in sleep quality (p = 0.001). Improved sleep quality was associated with less sitting time (p = 0.010). Addressing sleep issues among higher education students is a pressing concern, especially during stressful events. These results support the importance of making education and behavior-based sleep programming available for higher education students in order to benefit students’ overall health.

The relationship between higher education students' perceived employability, academic engagement and stress among students in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-762
Author(s):  
Yin Ma ◽  
Dawn Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Chinese Higher Education ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeWith a focus on Chinese higher education students, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students' perceived employability and their levels of academic engagement and stress.Design/methodology/approachThe study engaged 1,155 students from three universities in China. Students responded to an online survey, reporting their confidence in relation to their perceived employability, academic engagement and stress in life. The authors employed structural equation modelling to explore students' confidence in each employability attribute and to assess perceived employability relation to academic engagement and perceived stress.FindingsThe results suggest that self-perceptions of employability are positively associated with students' academic engagement and negatively associated with perceived stress. Perceived employability mediated the majority paths.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies to examine perceived employability in line with academic engagement or stress and the first study to do so in China.

Overconfidence of vocational education students when entering higher education

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Bowden ◽  
Subhash Abhayawansa ◽  
John Bahtsevanoglou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.

Examining the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Academic Performance: Implications for Diversity and Equity in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110538
Author(s):  
Heather Mechler ◽  
Kathryn Coakley ◽  
Marygold Walsh-Dilley ◽  
Sarita Cargas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Educational Equity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Professional Students ◽  
The Relationship

In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on the experience of food insecurity among students at higher education institutions. Most of the literature has focused on undergraduates in the eastern and midwestern regions of the United States. This cross-sectional study of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at a Minority Institution in the southwestern United States is the first of its kind to explore food insecurity among diverse students that also includes data on gender identity and sexual orientation. When holding other factors constant, food-insecure students were far more likely to fail or withdraw from a course or to drop out entirely. We explore the role that higher education can play in ensuring students’ basic needs and implications for educational equity.

Mental health issues and sleep quality of Indian employees and higher education students during COVID-19 lockdown

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
B.L. Radhakrishnan ◽  
E. Kirubakaran ◽  
R.V. Belfin ◽  
Sudhakar Selvam ◽  
K. Martin Sagayam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Mental Health Issues

scholarly journals Mediators of Food Insecurity and Obesity in Female Heads-of-Household with Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Emily Havrilla
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Heads Of Household ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
General Self Efficacy

Background: The prevalence of obesity is a significant issue in the United States. Among vulnerable populations, obesity exists in the presence of household food insecurity; however the mechanisms of the relationship are not well understood. General perceived stress and general self-efficacy were evaluated as mediators of the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in female heads-of-household with children. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design with mediation model testing was used. Subjects (N = 86) were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Core Food Security Module (CFSM), the General Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (SES). Body mass index and waist –to-hip circumference were calculated from measured data. Results: Significant relationships were found between food insecurity and general perceived stress, general perceived stress and obesity, and general self-efficacy and obesity. Mediation models’ testing was not completed due the lack of a significant correlation between food insecurity and obesity. Post hoc analysis was completed using bootstrapping and a revised mediation model process. Conclusion: General perceived stress and general self-efficacy are associated with obesity in female heads-of-household with children who are food insecure. Keywords: Food insecurity, Obesity, Stress, Self-efficacy, Vulnerable populations, Quantitative research, Socioeconomic factors

Globalization, Cross Border Education, and Student Migration

2015 ◽  
pp. 397-442
Author(s):  
Ryan Vance Guffey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Perceived Importance ◽  
Push And Pull ◽  
The Relationship

Presently, there are more than two million students studying outside their home countries and the total number is expected to grow to eight million by 2025. This trend has inspired research into the “push” and “pull” factors that drive student mobility within the global higher education environment. However, despite the growing presence of cross border student enrollments throughout the United States, which is also the number one location for cross border students to study in the world, limited efforts have been made to identify what characteristics motivate particular groups of cross border students to leave their home countries to attend particular types of higher education in the United States. This chapter addresses that gap in the literature. In response, this study sought to build upon existing global higher education literature by determining the relationship between the perceived importance of institutional characteristics and cross border students' age, gender, and country of origin.

scholarly journals SLEEP QUALITY AS A MECHANISM LINKING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S779-S779
Author(s):  
Alycia N Bisson ◽  
Margie E Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Waking Up ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Moderating Role

Abstract Modifiable health behaviors, such as physical activity and sleep quality are important for cognition throughout life. A growing body of research also suggests that engaging in enough physical activity is important to sleeping well. One recent study found that sleep efficiency mediates the relationship between physical activity and cognition. It is still unknown whether other metrics of sleep quality are mediators. The present study tested mediation in the second wave of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, we found that those who were more physically active fell asleep faster, and had better executive functioning. In addition, those who were more physically active reported waking up fewer times during the night, and had better executive functioning and self-rated memory. Discussion will focus on the moderating role of gender and distinctions between findings with different measures of sleep, physical activity, and cognition.

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