Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
We examined the relationships between participation in different extracurricular activities and the overall physical and mental health in college students across a 2-year period. Participation in certain occupations was associated with positive mental health, whereas other occupations were linked to poorer physical health. Exploration and promotion of participation in extracurricular occupations should be considered to support student health.
Primary Author and Speaker: Buwen Yao
Contributing Authors: Sandy Takata, Shawn C. Roll
PURPOSE: Engagement in meaningful occupations is crucial to attain health and well-being (Pemberton & Cox, 2015; Stewart, Fischer, Hirji, & Davis, 2016). Participation in extracurricular occupations may affect college students' health. However, the change in extracurricular activity participation over time and the effect of participation on health are still unknown. This study aimed to describe the participation in extracurricular occupations and explore the relationship between extracurricular occupation and overall health in college students.
DESIGN: This study was a descriptive longitudinal study. Participants were students who enrolled in a two-year occupational therapy or dental hygiene program. Exclusion criteria were a history of any significant injury or on-going medical conditions.
METHOD: Self-reported surveys were completed three times, at the beginning of participants' academic programs and after each successive academic year. The Modified Interest Checklist was adapted to provide a comprehensive list of extracurricular activities in which a college student may participate. For each activity, participants reported the number of months and average hours per week. We then calculated the total hours of participation in each activity across the previous six months. A total of 61 activities were grouped into eight occupational categories: fitness, sports, creative arts, social, leisure, work, animal care, and caregiving. The total hours of each occupational category are the sum of hours for each activity in that occupational category. The SF-36 was used to measure students' overall physical and mental health, captured in the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). Mixed linear models were constructed to examine the relationship of each occupational category on PCS and MCS, as well as the change of participation on the change of PCS and MCS.
RESULTS: A total of 159 participants were enrolled, and 136 (85.5%) participants completed this process. At one-year and two-year follow-up, the total hours of participation in fitness, sports, creative arts, and work/volunteer occupations decreased (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively) compared to baseline. For social, leisure, animal care, and caregiving, the time spent remained similar through the two-year follow-up. MCS decreased significantly (50.4, 47.4, and 48.2, p < 0.001), while PCS remained constant. After adjusting for confounders, participation in work or volunteer activity was associated with a decrease in PCS score (η = -1.4, p < 0.01). A change from no to some participation in work/volunteer occupation was associated with a 2.6 increase of MCS score (p = 0.04) and a 1.6 decrease of PCS score (p = 0.03). After adjusting for confounders, the MCS score was still significantly lower at one-year (η = -2.9, p < 0.001) and two-year (η = -2.1, p < 0.01) compared to baseline.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the benefits of applying an occupational perspective to support mental and physical health of college students. Specifically, educators should consider the potential effect of extracurricular occupations on college students' health when designing academic programs. Furthermore, this study showed that students engaged in a fewer range of activities for shorter durations over the course of their programs. Future research is required to understand this phenomenon and facilitate occupational engagement in students. Additionally, future studies should examine why mental health worsened in order to most effectively support student mental health.
References
Pemberton, S., & Cox, D. L. (2015). Synchronisation: Co-ordinating Time and Occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 22(3), 291-303. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2014.990496
Stewart, K. E., Fischer, T. M., Hirji, R., & Davis, J. A. (2016). Toward the reconceptualization of the relationship between occupation and health and well-being: Vers la reconceptualisation de la relation entre l’occupation et la santé et le bien-être. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 83(4), 249-259. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417415625425
