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Understanding the College Lifestyle: Examining How Academic Workload and Physical

Activity Affect the Perceived Stress Levels of College Students

A Research Proposal

Jeffrey R. Harmeyer

Department of Kinesiology and Health

Miami University

KNH 402

Winter 2014

Paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree

for the Liberal Education capstone experience at Miami University

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Understanding the College Lifestyle: Examining How Academic Workload and Physical

Activity Affect the Perceived Stress Levels of College Students

The transition from high school to college can be a difficult and confusing time for many

young adults. Initial images of the college lifestyle flash through a student’s mind as their time to

experience freedom, enjoy college parties, meet new people, attend collegiate sporting events,

and the list rolls on. In fact, many college graduates will gladly explain to others that college was

the greatest four years of their lives; however, they tend to leave out the fact that college requires

responsibility, discipline, dedication, time management skills, and an endless amount of

studying. This transition is described as a “culture shock involving significant social and

psychological relearning in the face of encounters with new ideas, new teachers and friends with

quite varied values and beliefs, new freedoms and opportunities, and new academic, personal,

and social demands” (Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991). Constant demands are being placed on

college students to adapt quickly to new academic standards, to be involved in school clubs, to

help out a teacher with a research study, to rush a fraternity or sorority; the demands are endless.

Students, who cannot adapt or balance their college life out, tend to suffer high levels of stress,

resulting in potential harm to students’ health and development. If you still think you’re ready to

being your college career, then welcome to college!

The definition of stress has been debated for years because it is such a complex term to

define. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term stress is defined as “a state of mental

tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.” In 1985, Whitman described

stress as an experience that evokes negative feelings or thoughts; however, not everyone stresses

over the same experiences nor do they experience stress the same ways. Student stress levels are

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on the rise, according to Robotham (2008) and with higher levels of stress come poor health

behaviors and harm to the well being of the students. Specifically, students’ stress is originating

from course overload and academic evaluation procedures (Zeidner 1992). Similar to the

previous study, Grace (1997) found that “increases in reported stress could be attributed to the

set of academic and social stressors within the college setting, such as examinations,

interpersonal relationships, and the transition to living independently”. In a study conducted by

Kadapatti and Vijayalaxmi (2012), it was stated that “academic stress is the product of a

combination of academic-related demands that exceed the adaptive resources available to an

individual. High levels of academic stress in college students can lead to an abundance of health

problems, so it is important that research studies focus on ways to prevent and find ways to cope

with stress.

It has been debated that college students could use physical activity as a way to mediate

their stress levels. VanKim and Nelson (2012) found that “vigorous PA is positively associated

with better mental health and lower perceived stress”. In Dilek Guven’s study (2013), it was

noted that routinely performed physical activity is important in protecting health and preventing

disease. Also, he stated “as their physical activity levels increased so did their satisfaction with

life” (Dilek Guven et al., 2013). In contrast, other studies “found that physical activity and self-

esteem were not able to moderate school-related stress” (Gerber & Puhse, 2008; Hubbs et al.,

2012).

The purpose of this study is to describe a proposed research project that would be

conducted to examine how academic workload and physical activity can affect the stress levels

of college students. To provide a context for this study, a review of some relevant research

studies on this topic is provided in the next section. These studies have been organized into two

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different categories. In the first section, the studies that examine the effect of academic stress and

academic workload on college students are presented. In the second section, the studies that

examine the effects of physical activity on stress and quality of life are presented.

The effects of academic stress and academic workload on college students

Welle, P. D., & Graf, H. M. (2011). Effective lifestyle habits and coping strategies for stress tolerance among college students. American Journal of Health Education, 42(2), 96-105.

The study conducted by Welle and Graf (2011) was proposed to determine effectiveness

of lifestyle habits and coping strategies on stress tolerance among college students. This study, as

a whole, looks to determine: the prevalence of stressors in college, if any lifestyle factors/habits

are associated with high or low stress, and lastly, do these specific habits differ by gender and

race. No hypothesis was proposed prior to the study. In order to find participants for this study, a

randomized, clustering technique was used. This technique is said to be an effective method of

sampling a large population. Students were drawn from Healthful living classes, which are

general education requirements for students, so most of them take it their freshman year. This

was done on purpose to target a population that is still adapting to the ways of college living.

2,096 students were a part of Healthful Living classes and 541 of them were in attendance during

data collection. 470 surveys were returned but a total of 459 were usable, acceptable surveys for

the research study. These students consisted of: 216 males and 237 females; 332 white

participants, 96 black participants, and 26 were classified as other; and there were 347 freshmen,

78 sophomores, 24 juniors, and 8 seniors. The data collection procedures of this study consisted

of the use of a four survey packet that collected information regarding life events, daily hassles,

stress symptoms, and coping strategies. Data collection occurred in the fall semester, at the

beginning of the class period. The survey took roughly ten minutes for the students to complete.

The first instrument used in this study was the Life Event’s Checklist for Adolescents (LEC)

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which was a 37-item scale of “yes” or “no” questions regarding major past life events that are

common in many college students’ lives. The second instrument was the Daily Hassles

Questionnaire (DHQ). This questionnaire was very similar to that of above except that it

pertained to minor everyday occurrences rather than major life events. The third instrument used

was the stress symptom scale which contained 45 symptoms of stress and the participants were

to choose whether or not they have occurred in their lives recently. The fourth instrument used

was a questionnaire containing 20 factors that are beneficial ways to cope with stress and

students were to check if they have or have not used these methods of coping. On this same page,

demographic information such as, gender, race, age, and year in school were to be filled in.

Lastly, Cronbach’s reliability test was used to ensure that the questionnaires of the study were

reliable.

As a result of the study, we see that females scored higher than males on all four of the

questionnaires. Caucasians were below the average for stressors but above the average for stress

symptoms. African Americans had more stressors than average but less stress symptoms. The

“other” category for race had a lower Daily hassles average, a lower total stressor average, and a

high stress symptom average. As age increased, the amount of stressors decreased, implying that

the younger students are under more stress. Some typical college stressors that were reported

were: the pressure to do well in school, beginning college, and change in living condition. Also,

mostly all of the participants stated they had a change in their sleeping habits. The most highly

reported stress symptoms consisted of: general fatigue, inability to concentrate, and difficulty

falling asleep. Some of the main factors associated with high stress tolerance were control over

personal life and feeling well supported. One risk factor that was significantly associated with

low stress tolerance was the “avoiding problems using substance” risk factor. When comparing

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race, African Americans had only 4 efficient ways to cope with stress, while whites had 14 of the

16 coping strategies.

In discussion, Welle and Graf describe that in this research study many of the college

students exhibited similar stresses as one another, some of them pertaining to the abrupt, quick

change when transitioning to college and the rest pertaining to academic stressors of the students.

Within this research study, and past studies, it is found that college students as a whole are:

“overwhelmed,” “suffer emotional ups and downs,” “have difficulty sleeping,” and have

“feelings of anxieties.” Students who take better care of their physical health and have developed

strong social networks are said to have a higher stress tolerance. It is important that students hold

control over their academics and personal lives and take time off to enjoy leisure activities in

order to keep their stress levels down. Since differences were found in the coping strategies of

different groups of people, health education practices should no longer use a broad approach to

teaching about stress, rather they should start developing new methods to help different races and

genders learn to cope with stress. Future research should continue to examine the effects of

stressors and habits on college students to gain a better understanding of how to improve these

students’ stress levels and overall quality of life. Future research should also examine ways to

increase a student’s stress tolerance (their ability to handle stress). Lastly, a national guideline for

stress tolerance should be developed in order to gain more beneficial results regarding stress and

coping strategies.

Shaikh, B. T., Kahloon, A. A., Kazmi, M. M., Khalid, H. H., Nawaz, K. K., Khan, N. A., & Khan, S. S. (2004). Students, stress and coping strategies: A case of Pakistani Medical School. Education for Health, 17(3), 346-353.

The purpose of this study conducted by Shaikh and his colleagues (Shaikh, Kahloon,

Kazmi, Khalid, Khan, & Khan, 2004) was to measure the perceived stress levels and coping

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strategies of medical students in all five years of their education. A target population of 300

medical students was initially collected for the study but 264 students actually participated in the

study. 138 of these students were males, whereas the other 126 were females. The average age of

the participants was 21 years, while ages ranged from 17-25 years of age. Furthermore, 136 of

the students were day scholars (commute from home to school) and 128 were hostellites (stay in

hostels or on campus of the school). The participants were selected from a medical college in

Karachi. Demographic information regarding sex, residence, year of study, and status of

financial assistance was collected prior to the study. Prior to data collection, participants engaged

in a literature review to gain some background knowledge on the study. This was a cross

sectional study and the researchers developed their own questionnaire to measure and determine

college stressors. To ensure the questionnaire would function as a proper tool for data collection,

a pilot test was initiated towards a sample group of 20 students. The researchers then made any

necessary adjustments to the questionnaire and then administered the final survey. This data

collection took one week and it wasn’t stated at what time of the year this collection occurred.

Data was then entered into the SPSS 10 and Epi Calc 2000 and analyzed. The only instrument

used for this survey was the self-made questionnaire of the researchers regarding questions

relating to the stressors of a college student’s life.

In result, it is found that more than 90% of the students stated they have had an episode

of stress at least once while in college (94% of males and 91% of females). 93% of the day

scholars and 92% of the hostellites feel stressed in some way. Those who are on financial aid feel

more stressed than those who are not on financial aid. Females were said to experience more

fatigue, headaches, and short-temper than males and day scholars reported to be more fatigued

than hostellites. Students on financial aid reported that they have more frequent headaches than

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those students who are not on financial aid. The residence of the participants did not show any

significant difference in symptoms of stress. Out of the total participants, three-fourths of them

stated to be content with their coping methods. Males were more content than females with their

coping methods. Day scholars were more satisfied than hostellites when comparing their

satisfaction with coping methods. Many of the students stated that they like to talk to someone

when they are in a stress-filled scenario; males in particularly, took to this coping strategy more

often than females. Females tend to talk to a family member about their stress and problems

rather than a friend.

In discussion, Shaikh and his colleagues state that a large majority of college students are

stressed out and it has been known as a part of the college lifestyle, especially for those pursuing

higher forms of education. The most common symptoms of stress by the participants were noted

as: low mood, inability to concentrate, short temper, change in sleep patterns, loneliness, fatigue,

difficulty making decisions, and difficulty communication with others. Some other symptoms of

stress noted by the participants were: exams, academics, relationship problems, family problems,

and homesickness. One recommendation presented by Shaikh was that medical students should

have more leisure activities and recreational activities (sports, physical activity, socialization,

etc) added to their curriculum to help them cope with stress and give them a break off from the

intense studies involved in medical school. Also, the researchers recommended that functional

school advisors, peer education, and counseling be there to inform the students of coping

strategies and how to relax. In future research, there is a need for regular surveys to be used to

monitor the students’ health levels. Health education programs, counselor leadership, and

extracurricular activities are all important ways to help students cope with stress and the high

demands of college education.

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Kadapatti, M. G., & Vijayalaxmi, A. M. (2012). Stressors of academic stress- a study on pre-university students. Indian Journal of Scientific Research, 3(1), 171-175.

In a 2012 study conducted by Kadapatti & Vijayalaxmi, the purpose was to identify

stressors that caused academic stress among pre-university students. This study will examine the

aspiration level, study habits and problems, and academic stress of these students and will also

look to understand how socio-economic variables, aspiration, study habit, and study problems

affect stress. No hypotheses were made prior to this study. Participants for this study were drawn

from four co-ed colleges of Dharward city. There were 360 pre-university course students (both

males and females) that studied Science, Arts, and Commerce. To collect this data, the

questionnaires were self administered to fifteen randomly selected students at a time from pre-

university courses of first and second year pertaining to Science, Art, and Commerce. These

students were randomly selected from a list of the students present on the day the researchers

visited. Additionally, 10-15 of these students were interviewed at their homes to further

breakdown and assess the material of the study. Instruments involved in this study were: the

stress event test which scored students on their levels of stress pertaining to certain events, the

socio-economic status scale which assesses the socio-economic status of the student, the

aspiration scale which assesses the students’ desire to achieve own expectation or society’s

expectation, the study habits schedule which used questions pertaining to five types of study

habits, and lastly, the study problems schedule was used to collect information regarding five

types of study problems exhibited in students.

By comparing the results of the completed questionnaires and assessments, it was found

that as aspiration levels increase, so does the academic stress level. It was also found that

students that showed better study habits had less academic stress in their lives while those who

exhibit poor study habits were more stressed out. Study problem data was positively and

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significantly correlated with academic stress, meaning that the more study problems prevalent,

the more stress they felt. Also, when looking at socio-economic and demographic factors

collected, it was found that academic stress was related to many of them. As family size

increases, the amount of stress decreased; therefore, family size was significantly related to

academic stress. Also, the type of family was significantly related to stress as well. Nuclear

families exhibited less stress on the student than joint families did.

In discussion, Kadapatti & Vijayalaxmi stated that high self expectation is one of the

most common causes of academic stress among students. When considering high stress levels in

students, it was determined that the desire to get more marks, high expectations for the future,

and the drive to satisfy parent’s expectations were stressors that were considered in causing

academic stress. Also, students with more study problems could potentially have issues in terms

of coping with their problems which could result in higher stress levels. Academic stress is

influenced by high aspiration, poor study habits, study problems, and low social status. To help

correct these stress levels in students, assistance from a counselor during class schedule is

recommended. Parents should allow their children to pick the courses they want and allow them

to decide what they want to do themselves. Also, the family environment needs to help make the

learning process pleasurable rather than stressful. Overall, students need a supportive and

stimulating atmosphere in order for them to succeed in their college studies.

Kausar, R. (2010). Perceived stress, academic workloads, and use of coping strategies by university students. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 20(1), 31-45.

This study conducted by Rukhsana Kausar in 2010 intended to relate perceived stress,

academic workloads, and coping strategies used by students who are currently engaged in a

semester-based education. Kausar hypothesized that a positive relationship between academic

workload and perceived stress exists among students. He also hypothesized that academic stress

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perceptions can be predicted by academic workloads. The participants in this study were

acquired from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. 150 masters’ level students, 65

males and 35 females, which studied in the science department, were selected for this study. Data

collection consisted of three parts for this studied. First, the perceived stress scale was used to

acquire how much stress the students’ experience. Secondly, a coping strategies questionnaire

(CSQ), created by Kausar, was used to measure and understand how student’s cope with stress.

This questionnaire specifically viewed four types of coping strategies: active-practical coping

(proactive responses to stress), active-distractive coping (engaging in sports or an activity that

will distract oneself from the task), avoidance coping (withdrawal behaviors, such as drug and

alcohol abuse), and religious coping (partaking in religious activities as a way to cope). A higher

score in these four areas shows higher use of that coping method. Third, academic workload was

measured by way of adding the amount of hours in class and the amount of study hours students

spend per week. Lastly, a demographics questionnaire was completed by the participants to

document the students’ age, department, family income, and the number of siblings of each

student. The data collection process was administered during class time by designated teachers

that were chosen prior to the conduction of this study. The researchers were also present during

the data collection process. In total, it took the students about a half an hour to complete the

surveys and questionnaires. Instruments used in the study were: Cohen Perceived Stress Scale,

CSQ (coping strategies questionnaire), and a demographics questionnaire. Academic workload

was recorded also but no instrument was used to collect this data, rather the class hours and study

hours were added up.

As a result of this study, active practical coping was found to be the most prominently

used, while avoidance focused coping, religious coping, and active distractive coping followed in

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this order. A positive relationship was found between academic workload and perceived stress. A

positive relationship was also found between academic workloads with practical coping

strategies; however, negative relationships were found between academic workloads and both

active distractive coping and avoidance coping. The perceived stress level had a negative

relationship with both practical coping and avoidance coping. Academic workload was said to be

able to predict students’ perceived academic stress, while time spent at home, in labs, in project,

and doing other academic activities were also considered to be predictors of students’ perceived

stress.

In discussion, Kausar mentions that all of the components regarding academic workload

were considered significant predictors of stress among college students. The more time spent

regarding academic activities, the more stress students felt. Findings from this research are

similar to past studies in the sense that there was a positive relationship between academic

workload and perceived stress. Students often reported that academic stress results from grade

competition, lack of time, and time management issues. Many past studies have encouraged the

idea that students need to adapt and develop more efficient methods of time management and

studying techniques to minimize the school-related stress in students. It was also found that

students with a higher workload used more practical methods to cope, while those with a light

workload seemed to use more active distractive and avoidance methods of coping. In future

research, it is important to continue the efforts made to understanding academic workload and its

relationship to stress. One suggestion made is that students on a semester based system should

utilize counseling services at universities to help them cope more effectively.

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The effects of physical activity on stress and quality of life among college students

VanKim, N. A., & Nelson, T.F. (2013). Vigorous physical activity, mental health, perceived stress, and socializing among college students. American Journal of Health Promotion, 28(1), 7-15.

The purpose of this study conducted by VanKim & Nelson (2013) was to examine

associations between vigorous physical activity, mental health, perceived stress, and socializing

among 4- year colleges. The hypotheses of this study state that those who partake in the adequate

amounts of vigorous physical activity will have better mental health and lower perceived stress.

VanKim & Nelson also hypothesized that socializing will partially mediate the relationships

between vigorous physical activity and perceived stress. Lastly, they hypothesized that race and

sex will moderate the relationship of vigorous physical activity with mental health and with

perceived stress. Participants in this study were taken from the Harvard School of Public Health

Behaviors, which is a national sample consisting of undergrad students that attend 4-year

colleges in the United States. 94 schools participated in this study and each college submitted a

list of 750 randomly selected undergrad students who are enrolled full-time. A total of 14,804

undergraduate students were selected from these schools to participate in the study. 5,427 of

these student participants were males while 9,279 of them were females. The age range of the

participants was anywhere from 18 years of age to 24 and up. Participants ranged from freshman

class status to fifth year class status, and all of those between. A variety of races/ethnicities

participated in this study. The procedures in this study were conducted all throughout the United

States and these participants completed the study alone. To collect information regarding the

vigorous physical activity portion of the study, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used. This

survey consisted of questions regarding how often the students engaged in vigorous activity. The

mental health of these students was assessed by giving the students a five-item mental health

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scale from the Short-Form 36 health scale. Next, students were to complete a shortened version

of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). This consisted of questions regarding the students’

emotions and stress, how they handled them, etc. Students were given another form where they

were given options regarding their sex, age, race, year in school, body mass index (BMI), and

parental educational attainment. Two questions were asked to attain information regarding

socializing. The first question asked how many close friends they had and they were to mark if

they had fewer than 5 or more than 5 close friends. Second, they were asked if they spent more

or less than 2 hours per day socializing. The instruments used in this study were: the Youth Risk

Behavior Survey, a five-item mental health scale formed from the Short-Form 36 health scale, a

shortened version of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, two questions regarding socializing

among students were used to gain an understanding of the students’ social lives, and lastly, a

demographic questionnaire was used.

The results of this study show us that the students who met vigorous physical activity

recommendations were less likely to associate with poor mental health and perceived stress than

those who were unable to meet the recommendations. A majority of the participants in this study

were white females, between 18-20 years of age, had a normal weight, and reported good mental

health and low stress. Females were less likely to meet the vigorous physical activity

recommendations than men and were more likely to report poor mental health and perceived

stress than men. Socializing and meeting the vigorous physical activity were significantly

associated with one another which concludes that students who classified under the low

socializing group had lower chances of performing the adequate amount of vigorous physical

activity, had higher odds of poor mental health and perceived stress among males and females.

Female students, Asian students, and students with class II obesity had much higher chances of

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poor mental health and perceived stress than students who were male, white, and normal weight.

Overweight participants had a significantly higher chance of perceived stress. No significance

existed between the sex and race of these individuals and their vigorous physical activity levels,

perceived stress, and mental health levels. Poor health and perceived stress were highly

correlated.

In discussion, VanKim and Nelson state that there is an association between vigorous

physical activity and both mental health and perceived stress. Physical activity levels often

decrease among the college population and evidence from this study, along with many other

studies, should be used to help promote higher physical activity levels among college students. If

colleges could create an environment which promotes healthy living and the importance of

physical activity, then the odds that students will engage in regular physical activity are likely to

go up. Interventions could be used in the future to help promote the idea that physical activity is

beneficial to our mental health and could be used to as an effective method of stress

management. Longitudinal data is needed in order to be able to more accurately assess the

impact that physical activity has on mental health and perceived stress. In future research, more

accurate measures should be used to collect the information regarding physical activity, mental

health, perceived stress, and socializing. Also, future studies should aim to develop or improve

upon interventions that will promote physical activity and its benefits towards the college

population.

Ying, L., & Lindsey, B. J., (2013). An association between college students’ health promotion practices and perceived stress. College Student Journal, 47(3), 437-446.

The study conducted by Ying & Lindsey (2013) has multiple purposes. The first purpose

was to develop a better understanding of the health promotion practices that college students

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partake in. The second purpose was to examine the relationship of stress and the practice of

various health behaviors. Overall, this study was aimed towards figuring out which health

practices would help students manage stress. No hypothesis was stated in this research study.

The participants of this study were drawn from a Pacific Northwest university that contains

approximately 12,000 students. 407 students initially participated in the study, while 319

students completed and returned the survey. These students were undergraduate students and

were chosen from required general education courses. 123 of the student participants were males

and 187 of them were females. The class level of these students ranged from freshman class to

senior class. Almost half of the students claimed to be in excellent or very good health, 40% of

them considered their health to be good and a mere 10% of the participants claimed to be in fair

or poor health. After all the proper consent forms and approvals were granted, students were

given a paper-pencil survey in their general education courses. The survey took the students

approximately 30 minutes to complete. This data collection occurred in the middle of October, in

2008. One instrument used in this study was the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II)

questionnaire, which is a questionnaire consisting of 52 items measuring six areas of health

promotion practices. These six areas of practices were: health responsibility, physical activity,

nutrition, interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and stress management. A second instrument

that was used in this study was the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which consists of 14

items regarding how much these participants feel their lives are uncontrollable, unpredictable,

and overloaded. The questions regarding this are used to determine a perceived stress score. Both

of these instruments mentioned above have been known to exhibit validity and reliability, which

is why they were used for this study.

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The results show that the students’ scores on the overall HPLP II ranged from .58 to 2.81

and a mean score of 1.63. The scoring in this questionnaire ranged from 0-3, low scores meaning

fewer practices were engaged in by students and higher scores meaning the student engaged in

more of the health promotion practices. In the health responsibility section, less than 15% of

students were said to engage in these practices. In the physical activity section, more than 60% of

the students reported getting exercise during daily activities, 43.5% of females and 51.7% of

males performed light-to-moderate physical activity five times or more a week, and 42.6% of

females and 51.3% of males performed vigorously for 20 minutes or more at least three times a

week. Male students engaged more frequently in recreational physical activities. Less than half

of the students engaged in the nine nutrition practices, while males generally participated more

frequently in these practices than females. About half of the students believed their lives have

purpose and were aware of what was important in their life. This was found from the results of

the spiritual growth section. In the interpersonal relations portion, female students were said to

have participated in more of these practices than males. Males were better at managing their

stress levels than females and were more likely to take time for relaxation each day. About 30%

of students exhibited low stress, 67% exhibited moderate stress, and 2.2% of these participants

exhibited high stress. When comparing the HPLP II and PSS, it was found that lower stress

students were more likely than those of higher stress to partake in these health promotion

practices.

In discussion, when comparing this study to past studies, the students did not seem to be

overly stressed as otherwise indicated. The survey was given in mid-October (before any mid-

terms) so this could explain why the students didn’t score as high on the stress scale. Also,

students in this study engaged more regularly in health promotion practices than in past studies.

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Students scored lowest on the health responsibility section, meaning students do not do a good

job of checking themselves for unusual signs of danger or illness. Female students were less

likely to engage in all of the practices when compared with men, except for interpersonal

relations. Students with lower stress were more likely to partake in health promotion practices

than students with high stress. It was also found that practicing positive thinking can help to

reduce stress levels. In future research, it should be taken into account that there is a gender

difference in stress level and participation in these health promotion practices. Future

intervention programs should take this into account. For maximum benefits, educators should

explain the importance of continued or routine implementation of these health promotion

practices in their daily lives. Lastly, the fact that the “health responsibility” section is so low in

college students shows a weak area we should look to reinforce in future studies.

Dilek Guven, S., Ozcan, A., Tasgin, O., & Arslan, F. (2013). The relationship between health college students’ physical activity status and life satisfaction. International Journal of Academic Research, 5(4), 327-331.

This study was conducted by Dilek Guven and his fellow colleagues (Dilek Guven,

Ozcan, Tasgin, & Arslan, 2013) in order to determine the relationship between college students’

physical activity level and life satisfaction. Initially, there were said to be 293 students from

Nevsehir University Health College participating in the study, but once some cuts were made,

the study ended up using 225 of these students. These were the students who were not absent for

any research days and accepted to be a part of the study. Of the 225 students, 164 of them are

female and 61 of them are male, and the mean age of the group is just about 21 years of age.

Also, 33.8% of these participants were classified as freshman or first year students. Some other

interesting facts about the participants include that 56.4% of them have normal BMI (body mass

index) and an alarming 57% of these student participants do not exercise. This study did not

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contain any hypotheses (educated guesses) to what they think will happen in this study. To begin

the study, participants were to complete a short form of the self-administered International

Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which gives information regarding the physical activity

levels of each participant. To insure that these questionnaires were completed in complete

honesty, reliability and validity tests were carried out. The IPAQ has guidelines in that the

physical activity should only count and be calculated with the IPAQ scores if the duration of the

activity is more than 10 minutes. The questionnaire asks for data (over the past 7 days) regarding

the duration of: vigorous physical activities, moderate physical activities, and walking/average

sitting. These durations were then calculated into the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) by

using pre-conceived formulas. This MET unit basically is a measure expressing the energy cost

of physical activities and the rate of energy consumption during physical activity. The unit of this

rate is noted as MET-minute/week. The participants scored either a low score (less than 600

MET-minute/week), moderate score (600-3000 MET-minute/week), or high score (3000+ Met-

minute/week). Next, the participants were to complete The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).

In 1985, Diener et al. developed this scale in order to determine the students’ satisfaction with

life. Members of the study were asked to answer items with the ratings of 1-strongly disagree,

through 7-strongly agree, whereas the numbers in between are a lesser extreme of these two

ratings. The higher the participant scored on this scale, the higher level of satisfaction they have

in their lives. The data collection took place at the Nevsehir University Health College but the

article does not state exactly when the research was conducted. The instruments used to complete

this research were: the IPAQ (a questionnaire to determine physical activities levels in the

participants), the MET calculations, and the SWLS (A life satisfaction scale to determine the

participants’ level of satisfaction with life).

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In this research article, Dilek Guven and his colleagues found that as the level of physical

activity increases, so does the satisfaction of life in these individuals; however, there was no

significant statistical correlation between the average scores collected from the SWLS

(Satisfaction with Life Scale) and the physical activity levels recorded. The results of the study

show that more than half of the student participants had a normal body mass index (BMI) but

almost 60% of them did not do exercises at all. In the findings, we see that 44.9% of the

participants are classified as having a medium level of physical activity, 30.2% are classified as

having a low level of physical activity, and lastly, 24.9% are classified as having a high physical

activity level. The results of this study show that the individuals who have a higher level of

physical activity, also will have a greater satisfaction with their lives.

In discussion, Dilek Guvin et al. (2013) states that physical activity is extremely

important in protecting the health of us human beings. It is stated that if we participate in

moderate physical activity for 5 days of the week, we decrease our risk of cardiovascular disease

by 30%. Physical activity is commonly used as a medicine to treat many diseases in our society

today; for example, type II diabetes can be prevented or in some cases reversed by exercising

and dieting properly. The best time to introduce a physical activity routine is during childhood

and young adulthood because this way they can learn to develop dieting and exercising habits at

a younger age and carry those habits with them throughout their lifetime. As seen in the study,

30.2% of the participants were classified as having low physical activity levels. This shows us

that many college kids are developing bad habits and not exercising at all which may lead to a

plethora of diseases and illnesses, if they do not drastically change their actions and adopt a

physical activity routine. The satisfaction with life idea is described as people’s positive

evaluation about their life, based on their own criteria. As you can tell, many factors go into each

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individual person’s satisfaction with life criteria and not everyone’s perception of their

satisfaction will be derived from the same factors. Based on a variety of studies, physical activity

is considered to: make one feel good or experience positive feelings, create a positive self image,

improve quality of life, and overall, promote well-being. Similarly, in Dilek Guvin’s study, it

was found that as physical activity levels increase so did the satisfaction with life of the

participants; however, there was no statistically significant correlation between the mean scores

of the physical activity levels and the satisfaction with life scale scores. In future research,

interventions should be used to determine if they can help increase people’s physical activity

levels and therefore, increase their satisfaction with their lives.

Hubbs, A., Doyle, E. I., Bowden, R. G., & Doyle, R. D. (2012). Relationships among self-esteem, stress, and physical activity in college students. Psychological Reports, 110(2), 469-474.

In Hubbs’ study (Hubbs, Doyle, Bowden, & Doyle, 2012), the purpose was to identify

population and sex-specific relationships between perceived stress, self-esteem, and physical

activity in college students. The ultimate purpose of this study is to measure stress, self-esteem,

and physical activity among college students (male and female) and then identify and compare

population and sex-specific relationships within these variables. The participants in this study

attended classes at a southern university in the U.S. and were taken from five different course

sections of the Department of Health and Human Behavior. 90 students from this school were

contacted to take part in the study, with 74 of them agreeing to be a part of the research study.

An announcement flyer and verbal invitation during the second class meeting were the methods

used to invite these students. Both the university and the participants signed consent forms in

order to grant approval for the study to be completed. The participants consisted of both males

(n=36) and females (n=38), which accounts for the total of 74 participants. The participants

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ranged from 18 to 27 years of age, while the average age was 20.2 years old. To begin the study,

the participants in each of the five sections were given three surveys to complete. These

surveyswere administered during one of their regular class meeting times, and were completed

over a two-day period. The three surveys the participants completed were: the IPAQ (short form-

International Physical Activity Questionnaire), the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Rosenberg

Self-Esteem Scale. The Perceived Stress Scale is a ten question form about personal stressors in

which participants answer with anything between a 0-4, zero meaning “never” and four meaning

“very often”. The participants total scores are then added up and can be anywhere from 0-40. A

higher score is correlated with a higher perceived stress, whereas a lower score is correlated with

lower perceived stress. The IPAQ is a questionnaire where participants assess their own physical

activity levels based on their answers to the questions provided. The IPAQ uses a metabolic

equivalent (MET) formula for each type of physical activity (vigorous, moderate, or walking)

and by using the MET values and the data collected from the IPAQ, the research team is able to

record a total physical activity score for the participants. The higher physical activity score

indicates a higher self-reported physical activity. Lastly, student participants were to use the

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in order to determine their scores on self-esteem. Possible scores

range from 10-40, and the higher score correlates with a higher self-esteem. After all of this data

is acquired, the group averages and standard deviations for total scores on all of the scales were

calculated for each individual participant and sex. This data collection occurred in a southern

university located in the U.S. The article doesn’t state when exactly these surveys and data

collection were conducted. The instruments involved in this study were: the IPAQ, the Perceived

Stress Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. These instruments were used to collect data

on the students’ physical activity levels, their perceived stress levels, and their self-esteem levels.

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The results of this study show us that men scored a higher average physical activity level

and a slightly lower stress score than women; however, the women had a slightly higher self-

esteem than men. The results also show that no significant correlations can be formed between

physical activity and perceived stress or self-esteem. Self-esteem and perceived stress were

significantly correlated however and this correlation was a negative one. In both males and

females, it was found that when these individuals have a high stress level, they have a lower self-

esteem. This study did not find any correlation between physical activity and the total stress or

self-esteem of the group.

In discussion, Hubb’s and his colleagues compare their results to that of other studies and

find that college populations have increased perceived stress, and as this stress rises, self-esteem

falls. A few ways that students can cope with stress and improve self-esteem is by building

friendships because friend’s support and encouragement can help to decrease stress and increase

self-esteem. Over multiple studies, there were negative correlations between stress and self-

esteem in men and women, meaning that higher stress levels are associated with lower self-

esteem. Based on their study, no significant correlation exists between exercise and self-esteem

or stress. In contrast, a past study found that a lack of exercise was correlated with a lower self-

esteem. One reason Hubb’s study didn’t find this correlation could be that these specific

participants were pretty active prior to the study. In the future, more research needs to be done on

these findings in order for them to be used by colleges in forms of interventions and health

groups informing students of ways to decrease their stress levels and improve their self-esteem.

One suggested method by Hubb’s is to integrate these topics into a single intervention.

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Rational and overview of proposed study

In the first section of studies listed above, the effects of academic stress and academic

workload on college students are discussed and studied. In these studies, it is found that

academic stress and stress as a whole, is common among college students. Typically, students

exhibited similar stress levels to one another and many of them were stressed out over the same

areas of focus. For example, many of the participants in the Welle and Graf (2011) study, stated

that they were overwhelmed, suffer many emotion ups and downs, had difficulty sleeping, and

had feelings of anxiety. Students in their first year of college are much more likely to report

stress due to the transition from high school to college, while those who are older blame most of

their stress on academics. Through these studies, it was found that students exhibited differences

in ways they interpret stress and cope with this stress. In Shaikh et al., 2004, it was reported that

90% of the student participants stated that they have had an episode of stress at least once or

more while in college. Some of the most common forms of stress in college students throughout

all four of the studies were: low mood, high expectation of oneself, high expectations of parents,

inability to concentrate, short-temper, trouble sleeping, fatigue, exams, lack of time to complete

all of their required academic and social demands, etc. Kadapatti and Vijayalaxmi (2012)

determined that academic stress is influenced by high aspirations, poor study habits, study

problems, and low socio-economic status. Lastly, academic workload (amount of hours spent on

academics in and out of class) and perceived stress were compared to one another and it was

determined that all components of academic workload were considered significant predictors of

stress among college students (Kausar, 2010). Overall, stress is becoming a big issue among

college students

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In the second set of studies listed above, the effects of physical activity on stress and on

quality of life among college students were discussed. When distinguishing between male and

female college students, males were found to partake in more regular physical activity and

recreational activities. Students who participated in more health promotion practices (exercise,

diet, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, were found to have lower stress levels (Ying &

Lindsey, 2013). It is important to note that some of these studies conflicted with each other. For

example, physical activity and self-esteem were not able to moderate school-related stress in

Hubbs et al., 2012. While in Vankim and Nelson’s study (2013), it was found that “vigorous

physical activity is positively associated with better mental health and lower perceived stress”

(p.14). In Dilek Guven et al., (2013) a correlation was found between physical activity and life

satisfaction. As physical activity increased, so did the satisfaction the participants felt about their

lives. Physical activity is an important piece in maintain good health and preventing chronic

illnesses, which leads to the idea that higher physical activity, in some cases, could be associated

with lower levels of stress.

One major gap that exists in the studies regarding academic stress and physical activity is

the idea that interventions need to be created to help promote physical activity throughout

colleges. As of right now, interventions exist but they are not doing the job. Research taken from

the studies above should be taken into account and utilized within health promotion practices and

college interventions regarding stress and physical activity. Overall, an effective way of

promoting physical activity and health promotion towards college students needs to be

discovered.

Another gap involved in these studies is the idea that physical activity, academic

workload, and stress need to have further research done by relating them to each other and

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determining if physical activity is truly an effective method to alleviate stress, while relating

students’ perceived stress with the amount of academic workload they are given. In the past,

research studies involving questionnaires found conflicting views on whether or not physical

activity is a moderator of school-related stress; this is the basis to my research proposal.

The purpose of my research proposal is to determine whether or not physical activity can

help to alleviate stress, and to examine how academic workload and perceived stress relate with

one another. A hypothesis was developed for my study stating that physical activity and

perceived stress will have a significant, negative correlation. As physical activity increases,

stress will decrease. A second hypothesis states that academic workload and perceived stress will

have a positive correlation with one another.

Methods

Study Participants:

The participants of this study will be drawn from the Kinesiology Department at Miami

University of Ohio. 30 participants will be split into two separate groups of 15 students. The

target age group of this study ranges from 18-22 (freshman to senior standing); however,

exceptions can be made for fifth year or graduate students that would like to participate. Students

of all genders, races, and ethnicities are welcome to participate. Students will be notified about

this research study in their Kinesiology classes and must sign up and have their consent forms

completed a month ahead of time. The reason for this is that the study will take place over four

semesters and students will be given 12 credit hours for the study (as long as Miami University

gives an approval). Since the participants would be receiving credit hours towards their

Kinesiology majors/ research requirement, no gifts or incentives will be given.

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Study Design:

This study will be considered a longitudinal, experimental study. Once the participants

are determined, the students will be randomly placed into two groups of 15. These groups will be

classified as group A and group B. Each semester, manipulation of the studies variables will

occur to collect data regarding different academic workloads and exercise regimens. During the

first semester of the study, group A will be given an academic workload of 30 hours per week,

and they will not perform any exercise. Group B will be given an academic workload of 30 hours

per week as well, but will be performing vigorous exercise three times a week. During the

second semester of the study, group A will be given an academic workload of 30 hours per week

again, but this time they will also perform vigorous exercise three times a week. Group B will be

given the same 30 hour workload but no exercise this time. During the third semester, both

groups will be given an academic workload of 15 hours per week. Group A will not perform any

exercise this semester. Group B will have to perform vigorous exercise, three times a week.

During the final semester, both groups will be given an academic workload of 15 hours per

week. Group A will perform vigorous exercise three times a week while group B will not have to

perform any exercise. Participants must keep a folder of their training logs and their perceived

stress will be recorded every Friday and kept in a folder also. Exercise will take place in the

Phillips Hall gym during class periods. It does not matter what type of exercise these participants

do, as long as their working at a vigorous level. The students who are not exercising that

semester are given the choice to work on homework or head home.

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Data Collection Procedures:

To collect data for this study, Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale will be used. Friday of

every week, students will be administered the perceived stress scale test during class, in order to

keep a record of their stress scores on a weekly basis. This test should take about 10 to 15

minutes to complete. Students will each have their own folder to keep their training logs and

their perceived stress scores. This is a four semester study so data collection will happen

throughout. Academic workload is a controlled variable in this study and is quantified by the

number of total hours per week students spend on academics, both inside and out of class. Since

workload is controlled, no data collection is necessary for this portion of the study.

Instrumentation:

Only one significant instrument will be used in this study and that is the Perceived Stress

Scale (PSS). This scale is a questionnaire consisting of questions regarding how often and of

what type of stress occurs within these students’ lives. They will be asked to mark a 0 (strongly

disagree) through a 5 (strongly agree). Other instruments used will be: the gym equipment and

the training logs.

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Reference List

Dilek Guven, S., Ozcan, A., Tasgin, O., & Arslan, F. (2013). The relationship between health college students’ physical activity status and life satisfaction. International Journal of Academic Research, 5(4), 327-331.

Gerber, M., & Pühse, U. (2008) “Don’t crack under pressure”: do leisure time physicalactivity and self-esteem moderate the relationship between school-based stressand psychosomatic complaints? Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 65(4), 363-369

Grace TW. Health problems of college students. American College Health.45: 243-250.

Hubbs, A., Doyle, E. I., Bowden, R. G., & Doyle, R. D. (2012). Relationships among self-esteem, stress, and physical activity in college students. Psychological Reports, 110(2), 469-474.

Kadapatti, M. G., & Vijayalaxmi, A. M. (2012). Stressors of academic stress- a study on pre-university students. Indian Journal of Scientific Research, 3(1), 171-175.

Kausar, R. (2010). Perceived stress, academic workloads, and use of coping strategies by university students. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 20(1), 31-45.

Pascarella, E.T., & Terenzini, P.T. (1991). How college affects students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Robotham, D. (2008). Stress among higher education students: towards a research agenda. Higher Education, 56, 735-746.

Shaikh, B. T., Kahloon, A. A., Kazmi, M. M., Khalid, H. H., Nawaz, K. K., Khan, N. A., & Khan, S. S. (2004). Students, stress and coping strategies: A case of Pakistani Medical School. Education for Health, 17(3), 346-353.

Stress. 2014. in Merriam-Webster.com.Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stress

VanKim, N. A., & Nelson, T.F. (2013). Vigorous physical activity, mental health, perceived stress, and socializing among college students. American Journal of Health Promotion, 28(1), 7-15.

Welle, P. D., & Graf, H. M. (2011). Effective lifestyle habits and coping strategies for stress tolerance among college students. American Journal of Health Education, 42(2), 96-105.

Ying, L., & Lindsey, B. J., (2013). An association between college students’ health promotion practices and perceived stress. College Student Journal, 47(3), 437-446