Health Risk Behaviors Among University Students: A Latent Class Analysis and its Association With Mental Health.

Abstract

Health behaviors (HB) are critical for university students, as they are closely associated with academic and overall well-being. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore health behaviors in a sample of university students, identify patterns of HB, and examine the association between these patterns and mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 1085 university students enrolled at a private higher-education institution. Participants were predominantly female (83.4%), with a mean age of 22.74 years (SD = 7.03). Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was employed to identify distinct classes of HB. Three classes were identified: Class 1, labelled as the Unhealthy habits - high-stress profile (15.7%); Class 2, labelled as the Healthy/Low-risk group (68%); and Class 3, labelled as the Unhealthy habits - substance-use profile (16.3%). Significant differences in mental health outcomes were observed, with the Unhealthy habits - high stress profile displaying significantly worse mental health compared to the Healthy/Unhealthy habits - substance use profile. These findings reinforce the idea that HB do not operate in isolation but are interdependent components of a broader lifestyle pattern. The findings may inform the development of targeted interventions to promote healthier lifestyle patterns and support mental health among university students, particularly for the Unhealthy habits - high stress profile in the student population.