P-70 Student’s negotiations of (un)healthy practices in everyday life at university
Author(s):
E L Procter , R M James, M J Savage, C J Robers , J Hardwicke
Year of Presentation:
2025
Objective: It is well documented that there is a high prevalence of detrimental health-related behaviours amongst
university students. However, the social circumstances in
which such behaviours manifest are not so well understood.
Without this, the impact of health promotion efforts within
university settings may be reduced. This study therefore
explores how the social context of university influences students’ negotiations of (un)healthy practices.
Methods: 24 UK undergraduate students participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews which focused on ‘modifiable’ health-related behaviours such as physical (in) activity, (un)healthy diet, sleep and alcohol consumption. Data were analysed using thematic analysis guided by the reflexive approach.
Results: Three themes were generated: 1) Changing contexts and competing concerns in student life, 2) Being healthy in a cost-of-living crisis, and 3) Structural determinants in the university environment. We show how students must overcome contextual changes as they move through university, manage competing interests, and encounter various social, economic and environmental constraints when trying to engage in healthy practices during their everyday.
Conclusion: The empirical findings lend support to the necessity of a ‘healthy settings’ approach to health promotion within universities. This should consider the specific social context and the realities of human behaviour as they relate to health. Health-promoting initiatives, sensitive to both the university context and students’ lives are required, and suggestions are given for embedding health promotion into university structures and organisations to create environments that best enable healthy lifestyles.