Healthy College Living - Essay Example on Public Health

College life is considered a sophisticated part of growth and development as observed by many health professionals. One of the challenges of college life is maintaining a healthy diet, active mental state and positive relationships among students and their peers. The reality of the matter is that a healthy mind and body is necessary for success in curricular activities. Evidently, proper dieting can help individuals, particularly students to avoid long-term effects that will cost them expensive medical care. The following essay is developed to show how a healthy lifestyle can be maintained among students in college. The paper is adopted from my personal point of view on healthy living habits.

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There are many ways of maintaining a healthy body and mind. First, the overall health of students can be effectively reshaped through proper dieting. Lack of proper dieting can be detrimental to the overall health of an individual. For instance, the lack of proper dieting may result in cardiovascular diseases (Frownfelter and Dean, 119). Such diseases result from poor nutrition, which is associated with the desire to consume fast foods such as French fries, instant nodules, and light beverages. According to the U.S Food and Drug (FDA) department, tremendous benefits for the mind and body are established with a stable activity level and diet proportions (Sarafino and Smith, 199).

Students can also ensure their good health by doing proper psychical exercise. Many students believe that physical exercises are meant for old people. Hence, they end up partaking in poor nutrition without any consideration for their long-term health. Nonetheless, the lack of psychical activity among students can also be attributed to the fact that majority of them are lazy. Fortunately, associations such as The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) have come up to create awareness among such students. The PCFSN recommends that students or adults should spend an estimated two to three hours of their week engaged in physical activity (Centers for Disease Control, 6). Failure to adhere to such recommendations may have damaging effects on the health of an adult.

Adequate sleep is another contributor to good health. Most students fail to get enough sleep while in college due to the tendency to indulge in nightly activities. In some cases, the schedules in colleges or compasses are difficult. Hence, most students prefer to sacrifice their sleep to reach their academic goals. In fact, an estimated 30% of the student population has active programs that allow the proper sleep time (Centers for Disease Control, 7). Nonetheless, even studies will show that adequate sleep time is still available for students. For example, if students can avoid nightly activities, they can get time to sleep and not find it difficult to balance their class time, study time and extra curriculum activity time (Sarafino and Smith, 199).

Students and college administrators can also promote good health in colleges by taking initiatives to address sexually transmitted diseases. In college, students are always faced with the risk of contracting infectious diseases, which is another deterrent of good health. The college lifestyle provides students with a lot of freedom, which can be misused by many. Hence, the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases are high among most students. Students can help prevent the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases within their institutions by creating awareness through college media services. Students can also form inspirational and religious groups to promote constructive behaviour. Also, school administrators can curb certain behaviors in their institutions by putting in place rules and enforcing them thoroughly.

Administrators in college institutions should also consider creating open health communication channels to avoid overlooking certain health cases. Given the exposure many students have while in college, the likelihood of contracting a mental illness is also high. For instance, continuous studies could cause severe brain damage to some people (Sarafino and Smith, 205). Also, some of the co-curricular activities students engage in could lead to mental health issues. If not well monitored, such problems can become prevalent. However, institutions can put in place certain measures that ensure students who are exposed to mental health risks are safe. Also, due to the growing number of mental health challenges associated with the increased technological evolution, students should be made aware of the kinds of technological devices which pose great mental health risks. In some cases, students may be exposed to mental health risks if they experience severe cases of stress or depression. To avoid such instances, students should focus on more optimistic aspects of their lives. This should help them divert from thoughts of self-pity and solitude.

Abstinence from drug and alcohol abuse is another way for students to maintain good health. Among the notable causes of poor health among students, drug and alcohol abuse is the most prevalent (Frownfelter and Dean, 138). Drug abuse may result from peer pressure, stress, and course overloads. Students are encouraged to avoid drug abuse from an early age. This can be done through avoiding peer pressure and focusing on constructive activities. At the same time, college institutions should take the initiative and establish groups for recovering addicts to encourage those who abuse rugs to stop.

According to healthcare advisers, students can develop simple programs to improve their healthcare at personal levels. For example, students can adopt health plans that help them to understand the underlying beliefs at the campus level (Centers for Disease Control, 8). Then they can be able to share with people who have been affected and understand the difference between what they expect and the reality the experience provides. Another critical stage of the planning would include the analysis of the gaps between the beliefs and experiences. In this view, the students would be able to understand the barriers to healthy living. As such, they would be able to adopt simple working plans that will help them to live a healthy lifestyle.

The practicality of the individual health plan can be useful among students. However, students should ensure that they are updated with healthy dieting at all times. This means that they can avoid eating unhealthy foods at fast food restaurants. Next, students should ensure that they never skip meals. This can be achieved by ensuring that ones appetite is in check. Examples of healthy foods students should consider include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and sufficient protein. As mentioned above, exercise is an important aspect of healthy living on campus. Thus, students have to ensure that they take walks to class, attend physical exercise classes, and participate in sports. Proper sleep is also vital for students even if busy schedules tend to reduce the amount of sleeping time. Smart dating and regular programs for the everyday life can also be meaningful to college students. It would help to manage their sexual health. Thus, students can ensure that they use of protection, go for HIV/AIDS tests, and attend classes that tackle sexual issues. This will help students to manage and eliminate stress. Alternatively, students can ensure that they use efficient health communication systems and channels to avoid complications in the mental health. Lastly, students can regulate their alcohol consumption rates and prevent drug and substance abuse to ensure good health.

Works Cited

Centers for Disease Control. "Make a difference at your school." (2013).

Frownfelter, Donna, and Elizabeth Dean. Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy: Evidence to Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2014.

Sarafino, Edward P., and Timothy W. Smith. Health psychology: Biopsychosocial interactions. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.