Student health and wellness is always at the top of the priority list for IU Indianapolis, and now we have data to help shine light on how students are feeling and how we can best support them. Before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the year on campus short, IU Indianapolis participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), a national survey of student health behavior. IU Indianapolis was one of 75 colleges and universities that participated, which allows the university to benchmark itself against national reference groups.
Overall, 90.8 percent of IU Indianapolis’s respondents self-reported being in good, very good, or excellent health, which stacked up similarly to the national reference group.
Recovery
- From a recovery perspective, IU Indianapolis had more than twice the national rate of students in recovery from alcohol or drug use, with 4.5 percent of undergraduate respondents identifying as being in recovery compared to 1.8 percent in the national reference group.
- For those students wanting a supportive community surrounding recovery, they can visit the Collegiate Recovery Community online and get connected with peers in recovery by emailing recovery@IU Indianapolis.edu.
Food Insecurity
- On a six-item USDA Food Security instrument, a higher frequency of IU Indianapolis undergraduate respondents were screened into the very low food security category (26.2 percent) compared to the national undergraduate reference group (18.8 percent). Not only were the undergraduate rates higher across IU Indianapolis, but the school-level data revealed a range of very low food security rates as high as 1-in-3 (33 percent) in some programs.
- At IU Indianapolis, Paws’ Pantry is fighting against food insecurity and is remaining open during the pandemic to help students.
Sleep
- Sleep is of the utmost importance for a successful college career, and it is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation that adults ages 18-64 get seven to nine hours per night.
- However, the survey results found that IU Indianapolis’s undergraduate students got less sleep on average than their national counterparts, with about half getting six or fewer hours of sleep on weeknights. On the other hand, graduate and professional students were getting more sleep than the national average.
- The survey found that the best sleepers at IU Indianapolis came from the School of Medicine and the School of Health and Human Sciences, while the most sleep deprived were from University College and Herron School of Art and Design.
Alcohol and Marijuana
- IU Indianapolis undergraduate survey respondents reported using alcohol slightly less often than the national reference group, with 68 percent drinking any alcohol in the past three months compared to 70 percent for the national group. That means about one-third of IU Indianapolis undergrads don’t drink on a regular basis.
- IU Indianapolis survey respondents also used cannabis less often than the national reference group, with 21.4 percent using any cannabis in the past three months compared to 28.6 percent for the national reference group.
“I think some of the alcohol and marijuana numbers we see really confirm that IU Indianapolis is not a party school,” said Eric Teske, director of health and wellness promotion. “In fact, if you look at the rates of students in recovery from past alcohol or drug use, IU Indianapolis is much more of a recovery campus. Our students are focused and serious about finishing their degrees.”
Tobacco
- As far as tobacco goes, the survey measured substance use as any use in the last three months. Tobacco products include anything from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, Juul, other vape products or smokeless tobacco.
- IU Indianapolis’s undergraduate respondents used tobacco about as frequently as the national reference group with 24 percent stating they had used in the last three months. Graduate and professional students were below the national average.
- Students at IU Indianapolis attempting to quit nicotine have resources available to them. Health and Wellness Promotion’s Nicotine Cessation Program can offer quit coaches, nicotine replacement therapies and more.
Aside from the usage rates, Teske mentioned the unique downtown campus at IU Indianapolis might pose different issues. He cites the fact that IU Indianapolis students used alcohol and marijuana less frequently than the national reference group, but IU Indianapolis had higher self-reported rates of driving after drinking and driving after using cannabis.
“I believe this reflects our commuter campus and the fact that our students live throughout the city rather than together in a single neighborhood, so the temptation to drive between locations is higher,” Teske said. “With so many rideshare options these days, our students really have an opportunity now to speak out against impaired driving and create the shared expectation with their friends to find alternatives.”
Students can visit alcohol.IU Indianapolis.edu to sign the Jags Drive Sober pledge, learn more about their party habits and find resources for recovery.
To see the full results of the 2020 survey along with past results, visit the Institutional Research and Decision Support website.