Health at Skidmore

Jennifer Burden, ScD, CHES Director of Health Promotion [email protected]

580-5684

Skidmore Student Data

      Mental health Physical Activity Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence – prevalence and perceptions Body Image Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders Nutrition      Sex “Hooking up” / The “hookup culture” Tobacco Use Alcohol and drug use/abuse Relationships with parents – associations with drug and alcohol use

Alcohol and Drug Use

Alcohol vs. Other Drugs

Alcohol Marijuana Cocaine Amphetamines (diet pills, speed) Sedatives Hallucinogens Opiates (heroin, smack) Inhalants Designer drugs CORE, 2006 Percent of students who have used in past month 84% 32% 6% 5% 3% 2% 1% Less than 1% Less than 1%

Age of First Consumption

At what age did you first use alcohol (beer, wine, liquor)?

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Never Under 12 12 to 13 14 to 15 16 to 17 18 to 20 21+ Males Females

CORE, 2006

Alcohol consumption among first year students

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 94 Ever had alcohol?

74 53 31 Ever been drunk?

Drunk in past 30 days?

Drunk at Skidmore?*

•No significant differences by participation in athletics, pre-orientation programming, or gender •This is an increase from 26% of students in 2006 (not statistically significant) Freshman Orientation Survey, 2008

Drinking Patterns Over Time

45% 43% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 22% 14% 9% 27% 26% 25% 22% 29% 28% 28% 17% 14% 33% 22% 41% First Years Sophomores Juniors Seniors Non-Drinkers

Alcohol Survey, Fall 2007

Light Drinkers Moderate Drinkers Heavy Drinkers

Among students who did not drink on Friday night…

60% 60% 50% 40% 30% 34% 20% 10% 0% 0 drinks on Sat 1-4 drinks on Sat

Alcohol Survey, Fall 2007

6% 5+ drinks on Sat

Among students who had 5+ drinks on Friday night…

60% 50% 40% 30% 45% 37% 20% 10% 18% 0% 0 drinks on Sat 1-4 drinks on Sat 5+ drinks on Sat

Alcohol Abuse Prevention Efforts

Annual

Research

NIH mendations Parental

Policy

Disordered Eating

EAT-26 Scoring

3 2 1 0 0 0

   26 questions A total score on the EAT-26 that exceeds 20 is indicative of a possible eating disorder.

The EAT-26 is not a diagnostic tool, but identifies the presence of symptoms that are consistent with a possible eating disorder

EAT – 26 at Skidmore

  452 female Skidmore students completed the EAT 26 in February of 2008.

15.8% had scores high enough to indicate a probable eating disorder   Our athletes are significantly LESS likely to have high scores on the EAT   6.6% of female athletes 18.3% of female non-athletes Our dance majors do not differ significantly from the general female student body

Weight and Self Image

Weight Category Percent of females who believe that it would be good for their health if they lost weight

95%

Percent of females who would feel better about who they are if they lost weight

96% Overweight Normal weight Underweight   38% 7% 73% 20% Of those with potential eating disorders, 95.5% believe that they would feel better about who they are as a person if they lost weight Among those with healthy eating habits, 61.8% believe that they would feel better about who they are as a person if they lost weight.

Unhealthy Weight Loss Strategies

14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 13% 5% Diet Pills 14% 2% Induced Vomiting 12% 3% No food 24-hrs 7% 0% Laxatives to lose wt Females Males

Disordered Eating

Health Services,

Services

Annual

Research

Annual

Culture

Sleep

Sleep

    Less than 25% of students get 8 or more hours of sleep on average through the week.

 The average is about 6 hours per night 65.2% of students report that they often have trouble falling asleep  The #1 reason cited = Anxiety, worry, stress (86.6%) 82% of students report that it is generally difficult for them to wake up in the morning During the 2006-2007 academic year   28.9% used over the counter meds to help them sleep 11.2% used prescription sleep medications

Employees and Sleep

 Only 14% of employees get at least 8 hours of sleep per night   76.6% sleep between 6 and 7 hours per night 9.5% sleep fewer than 6 hours per night

Mental Health

Depression

 To assess depressive symptoms, students were asked if they experienced any of the following for at least a two week period during the 2006-2007 academic year          Feelings of excessive, persistent lack of energy (34%) Diminished ability to think/concentrate (26%) Feelings of excessive, persistent restlessness (25%) Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day (24%) Diminished pleasure in activities all/almost all activities (24%) Difficulty sleeping nearly every day (21%) Feelings of worthlessness (20%) Significant weight changes without attempts to change wt (12%) Recurrent thoughts of suicide or death (7%)

Depression

 52.6% of students reported at least one symptom of depression  45.8% of students reported two or more symptoms of depression  14.5% reported five or more symptoms of depression

More on Depression

 Among students who experienced depressive symptoms    36% reported that symptoms negatively impacted their participation in extracurricular activities 45% reported that symptoms negatively impacted their social relationships 42% reported that symptoms negatively impacted their academic performance

Linkages…

 Depressive symptoms are highly correlated with:   Sleeping less than 7 hours per night (p<0.01) Poor academic performance:  Those with GPA’s under 3.0 are twice as likely to experience bouts of depressive symptoms

Stress

     54% of students worry that they will not be able to keep up with work in classes 13% of students worry that they might not graduate on time 28% of students feel that they do NOT have strong social connections at Skidmore 55% of students feel that it is difficult for them to get everything done that they need to accomplish 76% of students find college to be stressful

Employee Stress

 40% of employees reported high/above average stress levels during the academic year    This falls to 10% during the non-academic year Those reporting fewer than 8 hours of sleep per night were significantly more likely to report high levels of stress than those sleeping 8 or more hours per night Those working over 40 hours per week were also significantly more likely to report high levels of stress

Mental Health

National Depression PHQ-9 & Annual

Research

Surveys Annual

Culture

Sexual Safety

Condom Use

 Among sexually active students (approximately 75% of the student body)   Only 35.4% reported that they ALWAYS use a condom when having intercourse 58% reported that they used a condom the last time they had intercourse

      

Why No Condom

“I'm in a monogamous relationship and on the pill.” “It was the second time in one morning, the first time we did, the second we did not for no specific reason.” “Didn't have one “ “Put one on towards the end” “I was drunk and forgot to ask and it didn't seem as though one was readily available.” “It feels better without a condom. I hoped/ doubted she had anything.” “I was virgin, guess he didn't think it necessary, plus kinda drunk”

Sexually Transmitted Infections

  45.5% of sexually active respondents have NEVER been tested for STI’s     77% do not feel that they are at risk 8% are frightened of the tests 9% do not know where to get tested 3% are worried that parents or friends might find out about the testing Among those who have been tested, 9% have received a positive STI test

Percent of students who have

Had a one night stand 51.9% Been in a “friends with benefits” relationship Made out with someone who you knew for less than 24 hours Had oral sex with someone who you knew for less than 24 hours Had sexual intercourse with someone who you knew for less than 24 hours 56.4% 67.4% 32.5% 26.2%

Drugs and Alcohol

  63.4% of students reported that they have had sex with someone who they were not in a committed relationship with. Of these:  57% were under the influence of alcohol or drugs the last time this occurred “I usually hook up with someone for the first time when I'm drunk and then we have sober encounters afterwards.”

From hook up to monogamy

 55.3% of students have had a hook up become a committed relationship   “Most relationships naturally begin as flings or hookups and develop into more committed relationships.” “We were first friends, then we hooked up, then we became friends with benefits, and eventually stared going out.”

Physical Activity

Use of Skidmore Services & Facilities

Student participation

intramurals on an athletic team used woods trails used pool used cardio equip used weight rooms taken PA course 0% 24% 19% 20% 53% 38% 75% 61% 37% 40% 60% 80%

Physical Activity

 The current recommendations for physical activity:   Moderate physical activity - at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days per week  25% of Skidmore students meet this recommendation Vigorous physical activity - at least 20 minutes on 3 or more days per week  29% of Skidmore student meet this recommendation   7.5% of Skidmore students meet the recommendation for BOTH moderate and vigorous physical activity Over 75% of Skidmore employees reported that they engage in physical activity.  Of these, 70% report levels of exercise that meet or exceed the national recommendations.

Reasons for Inactivity

 Among the students who did not exercise in the week preceding the survey:       69.6% said they did not have enough time to exercise 46.4% said that exercise is not convenient 46.4% said that they lack will power for exercise 30.4% said that they feel self conscious of how they look when exercising 30.4% said that they don’t have someone to exercise with Other reasons given for not exercising included lack of interest, bad weather, lacking energy, not having needed equipment, and not enjoying physical activity.

Health and Academic Success

  Academic failure, poor attendance rates, poor grades, and poor concentration are consistently linked to:   Health-related factors such as hunger, physical and emotional abuse, and chronic illness Health-risk behaviors including substance use, violence, and physical inactivity In addition:   Academic success is an excellent indicator for overall well-being and is predictive of adult health outcomes Health-related behavioral choices made during young adulthood are predictive of adult health outcomes

In a class of 20 students:

Over 10 engaged in binge drinking at least once in the past 2 weeks Three are struggling with depression Six feel that they do not have strong social connections at Skidmore

In a class of 20 students:

15 slept less than 7 hours last night Only 5 got enough physical activity this week

In a class of 20 students:

9 did not use a condom the last time they had sex Nearly 10, despite being sexually active, have never been tested for STI’s

In a class of 20 students:

Nearly 3 have been victims of sexual assault One is in an abusive relationship Two are struggling with eating disorders

Campus Resources

 Health Promotions Staff:    Jennifer Burden, ScD, CHES, Director  [email protected]

 580-5684 Kate Rose Bobseine, MPH, Prevention Coordinator   [email protected]

580-5484 Kate Child, MA, Health Educator   [email protected]

580-8256     The Counseling Center  580-5555 Health Services  580-5550 The Center for Sex & Gender Relations   Third floor of Case Center Weekend cell # 256 - 1439 Campus Safety   Emergencies: 580-5566 Non-emergencies: 580-5567

Skidmore Data Available

      Mental health Physical Activity Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence – prevalence and perceptions Body Image Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders Nutrition      Sex “Hooking up” / The “hookup culture” Tobacco Use Alcohol and drug use/abuse Relationships with parents – associations with drug and alcohol use