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1000
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Abstract/Summary
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OBJECTIVES: To target health communication at less health-conscious groups,
evidence on health behaviours’ effects on non-health-related outcomes –
such as academic performance – is necessary. Recent research has highlighted
the associations of various health behaviours on academic performance of
university students. However, there is a lack of research investigating the most
predominant health behaviours simultaneously and their association with
academic performance, as well as the factors that potentially influence the
direction or strength of these associations. Therefore, this study investigated
(I) which of the predominant health behaviours (physical activity, healthy diet,
sleep, sedentary behaviour, alcohol consumption, smoking, drug use) are most
associated with academic performance and (II) whether the personal resource
of trait mindfulness moderates these associations.
METHODS: An online survey was conducted amongst university students during
the 2021 summer semester. Group differences in academic performance
regarding health behaviours were analysed using ANOVA (N = 1,049). A first
linear regression model (N = 571), considering all selected health behaviours
simultaneously, assessed their association with academic performance. A
second model (N = 540) assessed interaction effects of health behaviours and
trait mindfulness. Separate regressions assessed each interaction’s association
with academic performance.
RESULTS: Sleep, fruit and vegetable consumption, and gender were significantly
associated with academic performance. The second model showed no
significant interaction effects.
CONCLUSION: Targeting sleep and fruit and vegetable consumption might be the
most promising strategies for elevating students’ academic performance,
thereby enabling health communication strategies to reach groups driven by
performance improvements rather than health benefits.
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