Date of Graduation
5-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Human Environmental Science (MS)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
General Human Environmental Sciences
Advisor/Mentor
Becnel, Jennifer
Committee Member
Trudo, Sabrina P.
Second Committee Member
Williams, Amanda
Keywords
Alcohol Consumption; Diet; Drunkorexia; Exercise; Health Behaviors; Health Promotion; Lifestyle Profiles; Young Adults
Abstract
As individuals enter adulthood, their lifestyles and lifestyle behaviors begin to change drastically. These lifestyle behavior changes in emerging adulthood provide a foundation for future health behaviors that often persist through all of adulthood. The aim of this study was to use Latent profile analyses (LPA) to discover distinct profiles of homogenous groups of young adults based on alcohol, diet, and exercise behaviors. Overall, five distinct profiles for both males and females were identified: Moderates, Unhealthy Eaters, Medium Drinkers, Healthier Eaters and Exercisers, and Heavy Drinkers. Heavy Drinkers and Unhealthy Eaters were the highest risk groups and reported the highest number of days where their mental and physical health was poor. Medium Drinkers also reported more days where their mental health was poor relative to the Healthier Eaters and Exercisers. Future work should examine the motivations of individuals falling into these groups to identify mechanisms to intervene in order to promote healthy lifestyles as these young adults move into adulthood.
Citation
Grant, R. W. (2019). Alcohol Use, Dietary, and Exercise Behaviors: A Latent Profile Analysis of Young Adult Lifestyle Behaviors. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3270
Included in
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Human and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Nutritional Epidemiology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons