U of M News Wire
November 15, 2007

   
First ever comprehensive report on the health of Minnesota college students looks at mental health, obesity, financial health, sexual health and more
 
By Patty Mattern
U of M News Wire

A report released by the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service this week is the state’s first ever study to take a comprehensive look at the health of college and university students. It examines everything from mental health and obesity to financial health and sexual health.
 
Dr. Ed Ehlinger, the director and chief health officer of the Boynton Health Service, said members of the public, higher education leaders and state leaders should pay attention to the findings and make the health of college students a priority.
 
“The health of college students is important not only to the institutions they attend but also to the health of the state of Minnesota. Good health helps students remain in school, and a college degree or certificate is an excellent predictor of better health and economic status throughout one’s lifetime,” Ehlinger said.
 
Education is one of the strongest influences on economic and health status, Ehlinger said. “College students are a large and growing population and are establishing lifestyles and behavior patterns, they are the trendsetters and the role models for younger people and they are the future leaders of our society. That is why we need to make them a priority,” Ehlinger said.
 
“There is a shortage of information about these students particularly in areas that go beyond alcohol, tobacco and other drug use,” Ehlinger said. A survey like this one is beginning the shift to a more comprehensive examination of college student health. Along with Boynton, the study was funded Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota.
 
About 24,000 students from 14 Minnesota colleges and universities were randomly selected to participate in this study and 9,931 completed and returned the 2007 College Student Health Survey Report which tracks a wide range of student health issues from mental health and financial health to tobacco, nutrition/obesity and alcohol use.
 
Survey results will help schools determine what programs they need in place in order to improve the health of students. All five University of Minnesota campuses were included in the survey along with the following schools: Alexandria Technical College; Anoka-Ramsey Community College; Lake Superior College; Minnesota State Community and Technical College; North Hennepin Community College; Northwest Technical College; Bemidji State University; Concordia College; Minnesota State University Moorhead. Ehlinger will outline the report’s overall findings during the press conference and health summit on Thursday.
 
“The reason we’re studying students from 14 schools is because these health issues are community and state issues. We really need to address college student health issues on a statewide basis and not just on an individual school basis,” Ehlinger said. The survey was designed to look at students in a more holistic way, he said.
 
“College students face multiple risks to their health and their behavior affects all parts of their existence. We need to look at a student as a complex and complete person,” Ehlinger said.
 
In addition to the comprehensive 14 school report each participating institution will receive its own school-specific report. Some details on the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities report are available at this point -- 2,920 U of M, Twin Cities students completed the survey out of 6,000 who were randomly selected to participate.
 
Report findings
 
Mental health
Results show that 27.1 percent of students surveyed have been diagnosed with a mental health illness within their lifetime and 15.7 percent were diagnosed with a mental health illness in the last 12 months. At the U of M, Twin Cities, 25.1 percent report being diagnosed with at least one mental health condition in their lifetime. Throughout the schools surveyed and on the U of M, Twin Cities' campus, depression and anxiety are the two most frequently reported mental health diagnoses of students for both their lifetime and the last 12 months. Of all the surveyed students, 18.5 percent reported being diagnosed during their lifetime with depression and 13.3 percent were diagnosed with anxiety.
 
Physical activity/nutrition/obesity
Nearly two-fifths or 38.5 percent of all students surveyed fall within the overweight or obese/extremely obese categories. At the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 29.1 percent of those surveyed fall within the overweight or obese/extremely obese categories. A new issue is surfacing when it comes to student physical health, 28.7 percent of students surveyed report excessive computer/Internet use and 41.8 percent indicate the activity affected their academic performance. On the U of M, Twin Cities' campus, 32.2 percent of students surveyed reported excessive computer/Internet use and among this group, 41.9 percent indicate this activity impacted their academic performance.
 
Health insurance/uninsured
One key finding of the report is that 9.4 percent of all undergraduate students surveyed don’t have health insurance. For students in the University of Minnesota system, that rate is only 5.6 without health insurance compared with the 13.7 percent uninsured in non-U of M schools. At the U of M, Twin Cities, the uninsured rate for undergraduate students is 6.5 percent.  Students in the 18- to-24-year-old range tend to have insurance, but students who are 25 to 29-years-old are less likely to have insurance.
 
“We have a fairly low uninsured rate here in the University of Minnesota system where students are required to carry insurance. The higher uninsured rate throughout the rest of the schools makes the argument that a requirement for insurance coverage is a good thing for schools and for students,” Ehlinger said.
 
The students who have insurance are more likely to go in for preventive health services and have fewer sick days.
 
“College students use health services on campus and in communities and when it comes to mental health services, students seek out assistance on campus. “That tells us that colleges really do need to invest in on campus support services.”
 
Financial health
Of students surveyed, 33.4 percent of them report carrying some level of credit card debt over the past month and 57.8 percent report the debt as $1,000 or more. On the U of M, Twin Cities' campus, 29 percent of students report carrying some level of credit card debt and 59.9 percent report the debt as $1,000 per month or more.
 
“Students with greater than $1,000 of credit card debt tend to have higher rates of depression and have lower grade point averages,” Ehlinger said.
 
Alcohol
Alcohol use continues to be a concern for universities and colleges. Among students surveyed, 70.5 percent report using alcohol in the last 30 days and 37.1 percent report engaging in high-risk drinking within the past two weeks. At the U of M, Twin Cities, 74.3 percent report using alcohol in the last 30 days and 36.5 percent report engaging in high-risk drinking. Illicit drug use among those surveyed is low with 6.8 percent reporting they had used illicit drugs. On the Twin Cities campus, 7.1 percent report using illicit drugs.
 
Sexual violence
More than one in five or 22.4 percent of female students report experiencing a sexual assault in their lifetime with 6.8 percent reporting having been assaulted in the last 12 months. For male students, only 4.9 percent report being sexually assaulted in their lifetime with 1.9 percent reporting an assault within the past 12 months. Such assaults have lingering impact on students and their academic performance, Ehlinger said. Students who have been victims of sexual assault report higher rates of depression.
 
Sexual health
Of students surveyed, 77.6 percent report having been sexually active in their lifetime and 72.1 percent having been sexually active within the past 12 months. On the U of M, Twin Cities' campus, 77.1 percent report having been sexually active in their lifetime and 71.7 percent report having been sexually active within the past 12 months. Nearly four out of five or 78.5 percent of students report having had zero or one sexual partner within the last 12 months. On the U of M, Twin Cities' campus, 77.8 students reported having zero or one partner within the last 12 months. “Students are pretty monogamous according to the results, which contradicts the commonly held stereotype of students being promiscuous,” Ehlinger said.
 
Tobacco use
The current tobacco use rate in the last 30 days for all students at the 14 schools is 25 percent. On the U of M, Twin Cities campus, the current tobacco use rate is 20.9 percent for students ages 18 to 24 and their daily use rate at 3.7 percent, which are the lowest reported use rates among U of M, Twin Cities students since the tobacco data was first collected in 1992. Tobacco use is defined as both smoke and smokeless tobacco.
 
To view a video interview with Ehlinger, visit:
www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/Multimedia_Videos/boyntonsurvey07.htm
 
For unedited sound bites, HTML scripts and video for use in a newscast or Web broadcast, visit:
https://netfiles.umn.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-3424351_1-t_rwgbTFo1

 
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University of Minnesota celebrates student veterans
In spring 2007, the Twin Cities campus had 531 students certified as veterans -- a 24 percent increase from two years earlier
 
By Rick Moore
U of M News Wire

On Wednesday, Nov.14, the University of Minnesota held its first Student Veterans Appreciation Day to honor its student veterans' service and sacrifice to the United States.
 
The celebration--which was capped off by an F-16 flyover--took place on Northrop plaza on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. A few hundred people braved the blustery winds and occasional snow flurries to attend the event, including veterans and their family members, faculty, staff, students, and the general public.
 
Mary Koskan, director of One Stop Student Services at the U, said the day was designed to honor student veterans at the U "for their patriotism and willingness to serve in the military for their country."
 
The ROTC Joint-Service Color Guard and the Minnesota Marching Band kicked off the event, and speakers included Board of Regents chair Patricia Simmons, President Robert Bruininks, Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs commissioner Clark Dyrud, Regent Dean Johnson, and U student veteran Aaron Ledebuhr.
 
Simmons pointed out that freedom is at the core of activities at universities, and thanked the veterans for their role in keeping that intact. "We have academic freedom [and] we have freedom of expression because of the commitment from citizens like you."
 
The event also included the unveiling of plans and sketches for a veterans memorial that will be part of the new on-campus football stadium.
 
The tribute will be located at the open end of the stadium near the main entrance. It will include a 15-by-25-foot flag atop a 100-foot flagpole, and a 72-foot-long curved wall made of brick and carved stone. On the inside of the wall will be a staging area for ceremonies and other veterans’ activities.
 
The stadium veteran's tribute plan was developed by an advisory group of veterans and U officials who were charged by Bruininks in 2006 with developing a way to continue the tradition of the old Memorial Stadium by honoring veterans in the new stadium.
 
"This is going to be something that we will all be very, very proud of," said Denny Schulstad, retired Air Force brigadier general and co-chair of the advisory committee.
 
(Images of the Minnesota Veterans Tribute can be viewed at tribute photos.)
 
In addition, Athletics Director Joel Maturi announced that the opponent for the inaugural football game in the new stadium (September 12, 2009) will be the U.S. Air Force Academy.
 
Student Veterans Appreciation Day was sponsored by Comfort for Courage, Coca-Cola Beverage Partnership, the Office for Student Affairs, One Stop Student Services, TCF Bank, and University Dining Services.
 
'Going beyond the yellow ribbon'
 
At a Board of Regents meeting in September, Koskan talked about the increase in veterans coming to the university to continue their education, and the need to continue to increase the U's support services for those veterans.
 
During the spring 2007 semester, the Twin Cities campus had 531 students certified as veterans, up 24 percent from two years earlier. The Duluth campus had 117 veterans, Crookston 24, and Morris 20.
 
Koskan pointed out that all veterans, whether they have seen combat or not, face a major transition when switching from a military life to a collegiate life, which can include issues such as alienation, changes in relationships, mental and physical health concerns, and the need to process a different perspective on the world.
 
The University's One Stop Student Services, partially in response to suggestions made by student veterans, has implemented a number of new initiatives:
 
* established the One Stop Veterans Office in Fraser Hall on the Twin Cities campus
 
* developed a special Veterans Orientation Program to provide introductory information to student veterans
 
* assembled a Veterans Advisory Committee with representatives from around campus
 
* created a veteran reintegration training program for University faculty and staff
 
Veterans Transition Center

Another service at the University is the Veterans Transition Center (VTC), which provides a place for student veterans to meet, share stories, and relax. The VTC is operated by Comfort for Courage, a student-led nonprofit veterans support group. The center, currently housed in Room 15 of Eddy Hall, offers free pizza and soda every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and breakfast on Mondays at 8 a.m.
 
This past Friday, about a dozen students were lingering over leftover pizza at about 12:30 p.m. and welcomed a curious visitor. Ledebuhr, one of the scheduled speakers for Wednesday's program, pointed out that the climate for veterans has changed significantly since he started at the U four years ago. "[Comfort for Courage] didn't exist at the time, so there weren't other vets I could easily find," he says. About two years later the VTC was formed.
 
"Since then, we've been trying to get the word out to student veterans on campus that we're here to serve them and build a support network," says Ledebuhr, who notes that the VTC hopes to soon move into a larger space on campus. "I foresee the group growing even more when we have [more] space for them to stop by."
 
Justin Riechers, another student veteran who is in his third year at the U, says he had already become friends with some veterans before the VTC was formed, and that having a strong support network can be critical for transitioning students.
 
Says Riechers: "For some people, it's hard for them to stay in college if they don't have a good couple of buddies to hang out with."
 
 
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Growing Concerns
A parenting column with Dr. Martha Erickson of the University of Minnesota

Perhaps more than any other holiday, Thanksgiving gets me thinking about the value of family rituals. There’s nothing like the smell of turkey, a nice fluffy mound of mashed potatoes, and a big slab of pumpkin pie to bring a family together. And each time those familiar Thanksgiving routines are repeated, the sights and sounds and smells conjure up images of all of the holidays that went before.
 
Whether at holiday time or in the middle of an ordinary week, rituals are important to the strength of families and the well-being of children. First of all, holiday rituals are an intentional way of bringing the generations together. In today’s world, most of our activities are done in age-segregated ways -- with kids at school or extracurricular activities, parents at work or meetings, and seniors too often out of sight. Family gatherings like Thanksgiving are a special time for all generations to enjoy and learn from each other. They present a wonderful opportunity for children to develop a sense of history, especially if Grandma and Grandpa can be persuaded to tell stories from their own youth, something the grandparents in our family are eager to do.  More than any other factor, children’s connection with caring adults leads to healthy developmental outcomes; family gatherings are a powerful way to maintain those strong connections from infancy to adulthood.
 
Of course, we don’t have to wait for holidays to engage in celebrations or family rituals. Rituals can be as simple as a designated weeknight when all family members gather for pizza and board games, or a Sunday evening walk followed by hot chocolate. Many families even have daily rituals, such as bedtime prayers, a family reading hour, or a time to gather around the table and share a story about one good thing that happened that day.  When these kinds of family activities are repeated in a predictable way, a child’s sense of security is deepened. These simple rituals can take on even greater significance for a child after a major change or loss. For example, following a divorce or death in the family, continuing familiar rituals can be a great source of strength and comfort to a child, sending a strong message of love and stability at a time of uncertainty.
 
Every member of a family -- from the youngest to the oldest -- can contribute to the rituals that define a family’s values and priorities. By helping to shape those rituals, children learn that they have choices and that they have an important role as a member of the family. Although predictability is an important quality of rituals, rituals do not need to be set in stone. As children grow older or the family changes, rituals can be re-examined and modified to satisfy the needs of the family. And of course as children grow up and form their own families, they will decide what to carry forward and what to leave behind -- just as we who are parents now are choosing the symbols and activities that will define our families.
 
Thanksgiving is a rare holiday in many ways, free of goblins and greed. It’s a time to recognize and celebrate what we treasure -- our health, a warm house, beautiful fall weather, a job, tasty food and most of all -- each other. So as we gather at our Thanksgiving tables this year, let’s engage all members of our family, young and old, in thinking about how we can cherish each other and strengthen our bonds -- purposefully. Let’s think about how we, in small ways and large, can savor the closeness and coziness of Thanksgiving throughout the year.
 
 
Dr. Erickson is a senior fellow and director of the Harris Programs in the Center for Early Childhood Education at the University of Minnesota
 
Want to hear more parenting advice?
Dr. Erickson and her daughter can be heard every Sunday, from 2 - 4 p.m., on “Good Enough Moms,” on FM107.1 radio in the Twin Cities or via Webcast at www.FM1071.com