HE43 - Health Behaviors, Guideline Adherence, and Campus Recreation Facility Utilization in USC Upstate Students: A Baseline Assessment Supporting Exercise is Medicine on Campus
SCURS Disciplines
Medicine & Health Sciences
Document Type
General Poster
Invited Presentation Choice
Not Applicable
Abstract
Background
Regular physical activity is well established as beneficial for both physical and mental health. Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC), an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, aims to improve the health and well-being of university communities through the promotion of physical activity. As a newly registered EIM-OC campus, we sought to establish baseline health behaviors and campus resource utilization among our students.
Methods
Participants completed a digital survey distributed via campus email and flyers. The survey assessed self-reported anthropometrics, physical activity, sleep behaviors, and diet quality. Diet quality was evaluated using the Rapid Prime Diet Quality Score Screener (rPDQS).
Results
Fifty-nine students (24 ± 10 years; 27.4 ± 7.5 kg/m2) completed the survey. Participants reported 296 ± 254 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (221 ± 174 min moderate; 93 ± 130 min vigorous). Among respondents who completed the resistance training question (n = 47), 25 (53%) reported ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise. Self-reported physical activity indicated 20 students met both aerobic and muscle strengthening recommendations (43%), 12 met aerobic only (26%), 5 met muscle strengthening only (11%), and 10 met neither (21%). Seventy percent reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity during the academic year. On weeknights, 41% reported < 7 hours of sleep, while 21% reported < 7 hours on weekends. Diet quality scores, as assessed by rPDQS, were 26 ± 5. Based on standard body mass index (BMI) classifications, 30 students were categorized as having a normal weight (51%), while 28 were considered overweight or obese (48%) and 1 as underweight (2%). Students self-reported their health as excellent (14%), very good (34%), good (39%), fair (12%), and poor (2%).
Conclusions
Although most students perceived their health as good or better, fewer than half met combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, and nearly half were classified as overweight or obese. Additionally, 70% reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity, underscoring the need to evaluate whether current campus wellness infrastructure adequately meets the demands of the student population. The high prevalence of insufficient sleep, inadequate physical activity, and elevated BMI in this baseline assessment indicates a clear need for coordinated, campus-wide health promotion efforts. Strategic institutional investment and the adoption of a health and wellness core competency within the general education curriculum could amplify these efforts and meaningfully improve student health and overall campus well-being at USC Upstate.
Keywords
Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, Diet Quality, Health Promotion, University Wellness
Start Date
10-4-2026 9:30 AM
Location
University Readiness Center Greatroom
End Date
10-4-2026 11:30 AM
HE43 - Health Behaviors, Guideline Adherence, and Campus Recreation Facility Utilization in USC Upstate Students: A Baseline Assessment Supporting Exercise is Medicine on Campus
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Background
Regular physical activity is well established as beneficial for both physical and mental health. Exercise is Medicine on Campus (EIM-OC), an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, aims to improve the health and well-being of university communities through the promotion of physical activity. As a newly registered EIM-OC campus, we sought to establish baseline health behaviors and campus resource utilization among our students.
Methods
Participants completed a digital survey distributed via campus email and flyers. The survey assessed self-reported anthropometrics, physical activity, sleep behaviors, and diet quality. Diet quality was evaluated using the Rapid Prime Diet Quality Score Screener (rPDQS).
Results
Fifty-nine students (24 ± 10 years; 27.4 ± 7.5 kg/m2) completed the survey. Participants reported 296 ± 254 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (221 ± 174 min moderate; 93 ± 130 min vigorous). Among respondents who completed the resistance training question (n = 47), 25 (53%) reported ≥2 days/week of muscle-strengthening exercise. Self-reported physical activity indicated 20 students met both aerobic and muscle strengthening recommendations (43%), 12 met aerobic only (26%), 5 met muscle strengthening only (11%), and 10 met neither (21%). Seventy percent reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity during the academic year. On weeknights, 41% reported < 7 hours of sleep, while 21% reported < 7 hours on weekends. Diet quality scores, as assessed by rPDQS, were 26 ± 5. Based on standard body mass index (BMI) classifications, 30 students were categorized as having a normal weight (51%), while 28 were considered overweight or obese (48%) and 1 as underweight (2%). Students self-reported their health as excellent (14%), very good (34%), good (39%), fair (12%), and poor (2%).
Conclusions
Although most students perceived their health as good or better, fewer than half met combined aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, and nearly half were classified as overweight or obese. Additionally, 70% reported no use of the campus recreation facility for physical activity, underscoring the need to evaluate whether current campus wellness infrastructure adequately meets the demands of the student population. The high prevalence of insufficient sleep, inadequate physical activity, and elevated BMI in this baseline assessment indicates a clear need for coordinated, campus-wide health promotion efforts. Strategic institutional investment and the adoption of a health and wellness core competency within the general education curriculum could amplify these efforts and meaningfully improve student health and overall campus well-being at USC Upstate.