Wellness is “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence” through the balance of spiritual, occupational, social, physical, intellectual and emotional dimensions (National Wellness Institute, 2014, para. 6). Wellness is a vital concept for everyone in order to have a healthy lifestyle, a good physical and mental health, improve personal relationships, as well as increase satisfaction and joy (Iona College, 2014). Wellness programs have defined as programs committed to promote and enhance the physical, interpersonal, emotional, and spiritual wellness of students by offering a multitude of resources, activities, and programs to assist students in functioning optimally across all dimensions of their lives (Iona College, …show more content…
Targeting college students will provide an opportunity for reaching large numbers of young adults through education and prevention programs that promote healthy behaviors (Lowry, Galuska, Fulton, Wechsler, Kann, Collins, 2000). “In the United States, more than 12 million students, the majority (57%) of whom are between 18 and 24 years of age, are enrolled in 3,600 colleges and universities” (Racette, Deusinger, Strube, Highstein, Deusinger, 2005, p. 250, para. 3). Moreover, the educational setting can also offer unique chances to positively impact eating habits, physical activity, and other behaviors of large numbers of students (Lowry, Galuska, Fulton, Wechsler, Kann, Collins, 2000). Research suggested that the most reachable population in whom assessment and intervention are effective may be college students (Racette, Deusinger, Strube, Highstein, Deusinger, 2005). In addition, adopting a healthy lifestyle may help college students to deal more successfully with daily academic stress and reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases (ferrera,