Survey on changes in health awareness and behavior of university students due to COVID-19

Abstract

We conducted a comparative analysis of the health awareness and behavior of college students before and after the COVID-19 epidemic, with the aim of examining changes in health awareness and behavior and the state of health education for college students as a result of COVID-19. In addition, we conducted a text-mining analysis of students’ health behaviors. These results suggest that students’ interest in and confidence in their own health tended to decrease, and that negative factors such as anxiety and stress caused by COVID-19 had an impact, leading to a decrease in confidence in their health. In addition, the students were conscious of their regular lifestyle, and were committed to a well-balanced diet, moderate exercise habits, and adequate sleeping hours in order to achieve good health. In addition, the students considered sleep deprivation, stress, and smoking to be factors that harm their health, and they were making efforts to reduce or eliminate these health-damaging factors from their own lives. Based on the above, we believe that the goal of health education for college students is to encourage them to maintain and improve their health status, and to acquire the knowledge to understand their own health status and to improve their health through self-care and self-control. In fact, it was found that current students are working to improve their own health condition through self-care. Therefore, it is necessary for health education to provide accurate knowledge that leads to health behaviors and attitudes that students themselves can easily engage in.