Exploring Health Behaviors of Health and Non-Health Majors at Emory University Público

Abstract

This study explores the health behaviors of health and non-health undergraduate majors at Emory University. Thirty semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen health and fifteen non-health undergraduate majors at Emory University, a highly-ranked elite institution in the southeastern United States. In addition to looking at differences in health behaviors between groups, barriers and facilitators to health behaviors were identified with special attention paid to the effects of stress on health behaviors. Results showed negligible differences between health and non-health majors’ health behaviors, with both groups engaging in similar habits. Stress, time, convenience, family, peers, and internal barriers were identified among participants, with stress and time being expressed as the most detrimental. Family influence, peer influence, internal motivation, learned in school, and positive stress facilitators were identified to be most significant among participants. Internal motivation was found to be the biggest facilitator for non-health majors, while family influence was the biggest facilitator for health majors. Overall, stress was a major hindrance to health behaviors among all participants and was often experienced as competition with peers, lack of time, and overarching pressures to succeed. 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction..........................................................................................................................1

Theoretical Framework, Empirical Research Background, and Research Questions.............1

Health Education..................................................................................................................2

College Context Factors........................................................................................................4

Stress.....................................................................................................................................8

Methods...............................................................................................................................11

Sample.................................................................................................................................11

Procedure............................................................................................................................13

Data Analysis......................................................................................................................13

Results................................................................................................................................14

Research Question #1.........................................................................................................15

Research Question #2.........................................................................................................17

Research Question #3.........................................................................................................28

Discussion..........................................................................................................................35

References..........................................................................................................................40

Appendices.........................................................................................................................44 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Sociology
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Sociology, Social Structure and Development Sociology, General
Palavra-chave	college stress health behaviors
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Tracy Scott, Emory University
Committee Members	Jill Welkley, Emory University Corey Keyes, Emory University

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