OSU survey: More students are burned out, unhealthier
A new survey released by Ohio State University shows that the coronavirus and lockdowns have negatively impacted the mental and physical health of students.
Students reported eating more unhealthy foods as well as increased drinking and smoking.
A new Ohio State University survey found that nearly twice as many students were experiencing “burnout” at the end of the 2020-21 academic year than at the beginning of the fall semester.
71% of students experienced “burnout” in April 2021 while 40% felt “burnout” in August 2020, according to the July 26 survey.
During that same time period, unhealthy eating habits were up by 4%, consumption of alcohol was up by nearly 3%, and use of tobacco and vaping was up by 2%.
Likewise, “increased physical activity” fell from 35% to 28% over the time period.
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Additionally, the rate of students screening positive for anxiety and depression was also up by around 4%, according to a press release, while the number of students seeing a mental health counselor increased from 13% to 22%.
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Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, the vice president for health promotion at the OSU office of the chief wellness officer, told Campus Reform that the unhealthy behaviors can be directly attributed to the impact of the coronavirus on students daily lives.
”This past year has been very challenging on so many people, including our students,” Melnyk said. “Our data is similar to that being reported across the United States yet our depression findings are lower than what other universities are reporting, which is good, but still is a large percentage of students who may be struggling,”
”We are doing all that we can to intensify our efforts to help our students, faculty and staff,” the vice president stated.
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