Background: Adopting healthy weight-related behaviours in emerging adulthood has long-term health benefits. Digital interventions using game-elements have the potential to improve diet and physical activity outcomes. Universities are influential settings in shifting emerging adults' behaviour and can deliver health-promoting interventions to young…

Background: Studies show that lifetime wellness courses improve physical self-efficacy, which in turn increases wellness behaviour, specifically an increase in physical activity (PA). Because of this and other factors influencing overall health, it is important to understand the potential impact of health and wellness courses. The literature…

Objective: Engaging in healthy behaviour while studying at university is a defining factor in terms of its impact on a person's later health in life. Therefore, university students are a priority when it comes to health education interventions. This article describes the development and implementation of a web-based health programme intervention…

Objective: Despite the popularity of weight loss interventions, research indicates these methods are ineffective for promoting long-term health. College age is a developmentally important age for developing lifelong health habits. FitU is a peer-led non-diet nutrition and physical activity (PA) mentoring intervention developed to promote lifelong…

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a theory-grounded, text message-based intervention targeting sedentary behaviour among university students. Design: Single-group repeated measures design. Setting: Post-secondary institution in British Columbia, Canada. Methods: Data concerning students' sedentary behaviour were collected…

Background: Evidence supporting physical activity (PA) as an effective modality in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases is robust. Medical doctors are ideally placed to translate this into practice; however, realising this has proved challenging. To ensure doctors are well prepared, the training of medical students to be…

Objective: To examine whether the completion of a course of study relating to preventive health and lifestyle risk factors was associated with alterations in health behaviours. Design: Within-group intervention, repeated-measures design. Setting: Health behaviours of university students studying a course focused on health and well-being. Method:…

Objective: To identify the influence of parental autonomy support, basic need satisfaction and motivation on emerging adults' physical activity level and exercise behaviours. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: This study convenience-sampled approximately 435 college students identified as emerging adults--aged 18-25 years, who did not have a…

Objective: Motivating clients to change the health behaviour, and maintaining an interest in exercise programmes, is an ongoing challenge for health educators. With new developments in technology, simulation and gaming are increasingly being considered as ways to motivate users, support learning and promote positive health behaviours. The purpose…

Objective: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is associated with specific adverse health effects. Knowledge of student tobacco use, including SLT, may guide inquiry into other risky health behaviors, and provide opportunities for health education of students. Design: An incentivized email invitation to complete a web-based survey was sent to students at…

Objectives: The focus of this study was to examine the relationship among precursors to physical activity, including exercise self-efficacy, perceived exertion, stress, and demographic factors, among college students. Design: This study employed an associational design. Setting: The study population was college freshmen in southeast Louisiana who…

Objective: We used ecological momentary assessment to understand the physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns of university students. Study design: Cross sectional, opportunistic sample from a university in the English midlands. Methods: Ecological momentary assessment diaries were completed every 15 minutes across two days. The sample…

Background: Obesity is the leading cause of preventable death and conveys risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Overweight and obesity are common among college students, with surveys showing 35 per cent of college students to be overweight. Unhealthy diets and low physical activity are the major causes. Objective: To examine…