Longitudinal Study on the Lifestyle and Health of University Students (ELESEU): design, methodological procedures, and preliminary results

Abstract

Admission to a university may cause significant changes in the pattern of exposure to health risks. The aim of this paper is to describe the study design and methodological procedures adopted in the Longitudinal Study on the Lifestyle and Health of University Students (ELESEU). This study examines a dynamic cohort of full-time students at a public university in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This research, which started in 2015, will have four years of follow-up and is scheduled to end in 2018. A self-administered questionnaire is applied, containing questions regarding demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and information on health conditions and risk factors such as lifestyle, perceived stress, symptoms of depression, body image, risk behaviors for eating disorders, self-assessment of health and diet quality, and other issues related to nutrition and health. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements are also recorded. Two 24-hour dietary recalls and cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose capillary measurements are collected in 50% of the students. In 2015, 495 participants (82.6% of the eligible students) were assessed in the baseline study. Of these, 348 (70.3%) were followed up in 2016. In 2016, 566 participants were included in the cohort (81% of the eligible students). This study will help to identify the factors that might influence changes in the nutritional, health, and metabolic status of young adults during college life.

Prevalence of disordered eating behaviors and associated factors in Brazilian university students

“…Weight and height data were used to calculate body mass index. Further details on the study design can be found in Nogueira et al (2018).…”

“…Weight was determined with a body composition analyzer (Tanita UM-080) and height was measured twice using a portable stadiometer (Sanny 9ES 2040). The full description of the method used in the ELESEU study has been reported previously elsewhere (Nogueira et al, 2018). Weight status was categorized into no excess weight (underweight and/or normal weight) and overweight (overweight and obesity), according to the calculated body mass index (BMI; kg/m 2 ).…”

Influence of sociodemographic and economic factors on physical activity among university students

“…Students who reported having already taken another university course, students who had any physical disability that limited anthropometric measurement, and pregnant and lactating women were excluded from the study. Further details of the ELESEU study have been published elsewhere (14) .…”

Relações entre Forças de Caráter e Autorregulação Emocional em Universitários Brasileiros

“…Nesse particular, o ambiente universitário requer mais investigações, uma vez que a vivência de prazos, provas e apresentações de trabalho podem ser considerados, em alguns casos, eventos negativos, proporcionando aos alunos sentimentos negativos, como a sobrecarga emocional e o estresse (Nogueira et al, 2018), a ansiedade, o tédio, a vergonha, o medo e a desesperança (Ahmed et al, 2013;Bzuneck, 2018;Pekrun et al, 2011). Além disso, é possível que estudantes e docentes inseridos no contexto universitário apresentem pouca esperança na vida e considerem a possibilidade de realizar suicídio, tal como destacado por Kleinnman, Asselin e Henriques (2014).…”