Life Style Affecting Students Health

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The Study on ‘Effect of lifestyle of the youth on their health’

To study the effect of lifestyle of the youth on their health

Objective :

The study is focused on bringing a direct relationship between an individual’s life style and it’s effect on their health. For this Research we concentrated on the age group between 18 & 35 where a disordered lifestyle pattern can be observed.

Abstract:

Life style determines one’s attitude towards life. It even reflects your personality and the path to success. The one who followed a disciplined life style pattern is observed to have good health and longer life than others.

This study concentrates on the following lifestyle attributes and how they affect the persons health.

• Food habit’s ( junk food, timely food etc)& Substance abuse

• Working environment

• Pollution

• Physical exercise

• Sexual Abuse & Mental health.

Type of research: Causal Research. Literature study – various health issues faced by youth in the past and the change over time.

Solution : We intend to find the causes , give necessary suggestions and create awareness among the youth regarding their lifestyle and the way it affects their health.

LITERATURE REVIEW

I had gone through many articles and after having a detailed study on it, came to a conclusion that a healthy lifestyle in youth increases the chances for a good quality of life as an adult. More importantly, it provides the elements for good mental and physical fitness during the growth stage. For instance, the National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that humans build as much as 90 percent of their lifetime bone mass as children and adolescents. Getting adequate calcium, vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise for healthy bones and teeth is just one example of how crucial it is for young people to eat right and exercise regularly.

Adolescence can bring skin problems, and a sedentary lifestyle can encourage weight problems. Kids and teens can benefit from a healthy diet that discourages acne and promotes clear skin. You can look your best by eating plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains and low fat protein foods and not smoking. This type of diet -- plus daily exercise -- will keep your weight under control.
A good diet and physical activity are also important to maintaining mental health and getting restful sleep. The Centres for Disease Control, or CDC, relates that sticking with an exercise routine can help you sleep better and avoid depression, two more threats to children and adolescents. Eating well, and especially making sure to have breakfast, can help you do better on tests, notes the Food Research and Action Centre. Being mentally alert and physically refreshed every day makes you feel your best.
Diet and exercise are linked because you need fuel for your body to be able to play hard. Many kids enjoy sports, working out or just living a busy life. Getting the vitamins, minerals, protein and other nutrients that your body uses daily for thousands of processes requires healthy and varied dietary sources. The CDC notes that plenty of physical activity helps to strengthen your bones and muscles during youth. By keeping your weight down and fulfilling your nutritional needs, you'll be able to train or compete in sports and enjoy your leisure activities.
The CDC reports that this type of lifestyle also promotes healthy aging and a better chance for a long life. Eating nutritious meals that help you stay active can reduce your risk for many diseases that may begin developing when you are young. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer. Pursuing a healthy lifestyle can also greatly reduce your chance of growing up to be an overweight or obese adult. Many overweight adults must live restricted lifestyles due to a lack of mobility and heart health.

Research Problem

In today’s world, lifestyle spending has become one of the most integral parts of youth’s life. Fast cars, beautiful women/handsome men, big diamonds and super-fast bikes. In pursuit of this extravagance, we might forget to invest our coins at places that deserve them more – talk of health, for instance. Nowadays, teenagers have changed in comparison with the teens in the past, taking into account eating habits, an active way of life, spending free time and clothes. They are a “technology” generation. For teens in today’s world mobile phones, internet, music, movies, television and video games are very important. Most teenagers prefer watching TV and playing computer games to reading books. They don’t like reading because watching TV is easier and they don’t have to use their own imagination. Computer games teach but they are also harmful to health. Teenagers prefer to spend free time in front of a computer rather than to walk, play football or go to a swimming pool. Moreover, games transfer them into the world which doesn’t exist. It is very exciting for the youth. They meet with friends in such places as McDonalds. Teens eat there unhealthy food. They eat too much fast food.

Every teenager needs a balanced diet, appropriate personal hygiene and physical activities in the fresh air, for example, playing a ball, going running, swimming, driving on the bicycle, playing in tennis or walking. This should be for them more interesting than sitting for hours in front of a computer or TV because such a mode of life leads to the improvement of mood, health and physical shape.. Young people choose less healthy kinds of entertainment than sport, putting away bicycles in the corner. They eat too much fast, unhealthy food, which is very fatty and drink too many sugary drinks. This leads to obesity. However, nowadays young people, especially girls, allow themselves to grow fat, or torture themselves with diets, which leads to various diseases with physical basis like anorexia and bulimia. Young people must not give up food, especially breakfasts because skipping breakfast is a frequent cause of fainting which can cause frequent complications and even leads to death. It is crucial to limit the amount they eat, but only in a reasonable way, if at all possible after the consultation with the dietician. Young people have to remember, that a healthy lifestyle requires appropriate nourishment, but they also must not forget about personal hygiene. Physical activity has a large influence on young people lifestyle. Physical activity improves health condition in various ways. It helps the organism to utilize the calories better, which helps to maintain a desirable weight. Physical activity reduces the appetite and helps in the reduction of the fatty mass of the body. The beneficial influence of physical activity on health mood does not raise any doubts any more. The research reveals that regular training among the youth( and not only, but also by people at any age) is an important factor improving the health. However, too little popularity of psychical activities among the young people is a huge problem. It is a frequent and more and more general problem and causes various diseases such as: heart failure, lungs deficiency, spine problems etc. Another aspect worth mentioning is communication via the Internet, especially instant messaging, has become an essential feature of teens’ social lives. Teenagers say, that this can be very helpful to communicate, learn and can be fun. Through the Internet they can download music and other files and play on-line games, for example, with their real or virtual friends. What is more, cellular’s are very popular among teenagers and can be used to do a lot of things: we can communicate with friends using them, have a nice time playing games, listen to music and also watch films. For a lot of young people mobile phones are indispensable and they simply cannot imagine life without them. Teenagers’ clothes in the twenty-first century have also changed a lot. The clothes they wear depend on current trends since it is important to follow fashion. School uniforms aren’t so popular today like in the past. Girls more often wear jeans than skirts, boys wear wide sweatshirts and trousers. The fact is that nowadays teens get dressed in clothes which are comfortable for them. All in all, it can be stated that the lifestyle of teenagers depends on many factors. It is connected with the constant development which is taking place and as a result is different from the lifestyle of young people in the past. Every young man should lead a healthy lifestyle independently of age or interests. This should be one of the things that you do every single day. According to many scholars that is the liability of every man, and everyone should try to take the advantage of this life the best he or she can. Young people should be aware of positive influence of healthy lifestyle on health and mood. This in effect would give them better results in studying and what is more important they would be pleased with good health much longer.

THEORY DEVELOPMENT

Eating frequent fast food meals causes teens and young adults to gain more weight and face an increased risk of developing insulin resistance. A teenage diet consists of junk food and this includes burgers, pizzas, hotdogs, chips, French fries and soda to name a popular few. Unfortunately the teenage harms of junk food are a neglected topic or it is something that most teenagers do not want to talk about. Junk food has no nutrition value and some of the teenage harms of junk food are as follows:

• By eating junk food, a teenager will not get any nutrients required for proper functioning of the body. This means that the teenager will always be tired and fatigued to do any work. • A teenager will feel constantly hungry and weak due to imbalance created by the junk food. • Junk food is full of fat and calories. This will get converted to fat deposit in the body. • Junk foods do not contain any nutrients that are beneficial to the human body. In most cases, these foods are filled with harmful carbohydrates, fats and cholesterol that do not provide any useful energy. • Being over-weight affects the flow of oxygen to the brain cells and this can adversely affect your teen concentration and memory.

The next factor which had an impact on their health is the working environment. Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that nagging headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased productivity at work. But stress may actually be the culprit. Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can give you a jump on managing them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Also, if you have chest pain, especially if it occurs during physical activity or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or pain radiating into your shoulder and arm, get emergency help immediately. These may be warning of a heart attack and not simply stress symptoms.

Sexual abuse is any sexual contact between a child and an adult, or using a child for sexual purposes. It's often done by someone the child knows and trusts. In BC, a child is anyone under the age of 19. Sexual exploitation is another form of child sexual abuse. It happens when a child is talked into or forced into sex acts in exchange for things like money, drugs, food or shelter. It’s estimated that one in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused in North America. The exact number is hard to determine because many cases are not reported to authorities. Of adults who receive mental health services, it’s thought that as many as 50% of women and 25% of men have experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Children living with a mental illness, learning disability or physical disability are more than twice as likely to report childhood sexual abuse as their peers. These health problems may also make it harder to identify mental health problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder, that are linked to the abuse. While childhood sexual abuse can happen in any community, factors like poverty, homelessness, loss and racism can increase the risk. In BC, youth who are homeless are much more likely to have experienced sexual abuse. Physical activity has a large influence on young people lifestyle. Physical activity improves health condition in various ways. It helps the organism to utilize the calories better, which helps to maintain a desirable weight. Physical activity reduces the appetite and helps in the reduction of the fatty mass of the body. The beneficial influence of physical activity on health mood does not raise any doubts any more. The research reveals that regular training among the youth( and not only, but also by people at any age) is an important factor improving the health. However, too little popularity of psychical activities among the young people is a huge problem. It is a frequent and more and more general problem and causes various diseases such as: heart failure, lungs deficiency, spine problems etc.

Research Design

In order to find out the research problem , I have chosen a sample of around 50 people whose age group is between 18 & 25. A descriptive type research pattern was used in analysing the problems , which include surveys and fact finding enquiries of different kinds. I think this type of survey should be conducted among college students where you can find students from different backgrounds, lifestyle, age, localities. So a questionnaire was made and was given to college students (both sex ) between age group 18 & 25. For my convenience I have chosen my college so that I can spend a lot of time with them and analyse their problems. Finally after the survey conducted among selected participants I came with many conclusions on factors that affects their health.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Name :

Age :

Sex :

Height :

Weight :

Occupation / student :

Location :

The details you give in the course of answering the questionnaire would be dealt with utmost confidentiality. It is conducted as a part of the curriculum and the details you give will not be used for any other purpose than for the successful completion of the project. You can discontinue answering the questionnaire anytime but the details you give, once it reaches us will be used to cumulatively support the research outcome.

• Food habit’s ( junk food, timely food etc)

• Working environment

• Pollution

• Physical exercise

• Sexual Abuse & Mental health.

1. What do you do

a. Job

b. Student

If student skip to question

2. What is your per capita income

a. 5lakh

3. Average savings per month

a. Around 10 %

b. More than 20 %

c. More than 30 %

d. More than 40%

4. Please rank your spending area

a. Food

b. Garments

c. Health

d. Alcohols

e. Entertainments

f. Others

If so please specify

5. During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, aerobics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise?

a. Yes

b. No

c. Not sure

6. Has a doctor, nurse, or other health professional ever said that you have any of the following health problems?

a. Lung problems, including asthma

b. Heart problems

c. Diabetes

d. Kidney problems

e. Weakened immune system caused by a chronic illness, such as cancer or HIV/AIDS, or medicines, such as steroids

f. Sickle Cell Anemia or other anemia

7. Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your entire life

a. yes

b. no

c. not sure

8. Do you now smoke cigarettes every day, some days, or not at all?

a. Every day

b. Some days

c. Not at all

d. Don’t know/Not sure

9. During the past 12 months, have you stopped smoking for one day or longer because you were trying to quit smoking?

a. Yes

b. No

c. Don’t know / Not sure

10. During the past 30 days, have you had at least one drink of any alcoholic beverage such as beer, wine, etc?

a. Yes

b. No

c. Don’t know / Not sure

11. How often do you consume alcohol?

a. never drinks

b. 2 days or less per week

c. 3 days per week

d. 4 days or more per week

12. On the day you drink, on the average how many drinks do you have?

a. never drink

b. 1 to 2 drinks

c. 3 to 4 drinks

d. 5 or more

13. Indicate which of the following best represents your current smoking status

a. have never smoked

b.quit smoking less than 5 years ago

c.quit smoking more than 5 years ago

d.smoke less than 1pack of cigarettes per day

e. smoke more than 1 pack of cigarettes per day

14.On the average ,how many days per week do you exercise?

a.3 or more days per week

b. less than 3 days per week

c. no regular exercise program

15.On the average how many meals do you consume per day?

a.3 meals with healthy snacks

b.3 meals

c.2 meals or less

d. no regular eating pattern

16.On the average, how many servings of fruit do you consume per day?

a. serving is approximately 1piece of fruit

b. at least 2 to 4 servings per day

c. less than 2 servings per day

17.On the average how many glasses of water do you consume per day?

a. at least 8 glasses per day

b. about 4 to 8 glasses

c. less than 4

d. rarely consume water

18. How often do you consume ‘fast food’ ?

a. daily

b. once in a week

c. twice in a week

d. rarely

e. never

19. How many hours do you sleep daily?

a. less than 4 hours

b. 4-6 hours

c. 6-8 hours

d. >8 hours

PROPOSED ANALYSED STRATEGY

This study concentrates on the following lifestyle attributes and how they affect the persons health-Food habit’s ( junk food, timely food etc)& Substance abuse, Working environment, Pollution, Physical exercise, Sexual Abuse & Mental health. A descriptive type research pattern was used in analysing the problems , which include surveys and fact finding enquiries of different kinds. I think this type of survey should be conducted among college students where you can find students from different backgrounds, lifestyle, age, localities. So a questionnaire was made and was given to college students (both sex ) between age group 18 & 25. I then find the causes , give necessary suggestions and create awareness among the youth regarding their lifestyle and the way it affects their health.

BIBILOGRAPHY

www.wikipedia.com

-----------------------

HEALTH

FOODHABIT& SUBSTANCE ABUSE

WORKING ENVIRONM-ENT

SEXUAL ABUSE& MENTAL HEALTH

PHYSICAL EXERCISE