Establishing healthy habits, from a consistent bedtime routine to balanced nutrition to time management, is a critical part of the college experience. However, most college students are not learning and practicing healthy living skills either on or off campus. It doesn’t help that college wellness departments are under constant staffing and budget pressure.

A study by Northwestern Medicine and Northeastern Illinois University found that 95% of college students are not eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and more than 60% are not getting the recommended amount of physical activity. Despite efforts by colleges to provide recreational centers and improve the quality of food served on campus, there needs to be more holistic and interactive interventions to promote behavior change and set students up for healthy lifestyles.

LIFE Extend provides an easy to deploy solution to student population health. LIFE Extend promotes health through five evidence-based pillars:

  • Nutrition – Although many colleges and universities are changing what food they serve, making unhealthy choices can be too easy for a busy student with a limited budget. LIFE Extend’s nutrition pillar makes it easy to track and improve fruit and vegetable consumption, helping students be more mindful of their choices.
  • Exercise – Establishing healthy exercise habits starts in college, yet students may not have the knowledge and the support to establish the physical activity habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. For example, students may not be aware of the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and what the daily recommended activity levels are.
  • Sleep – Historically, sleepless nights in college were considered a rite of passage. This practice sets the stage for poor sleep hygiene. A survey at the University of Georgia showed that 1 in 4 students said a lack of sleep had tangibly impacted their academic performance. Countless studies show the direct link between sleep and health.
  • Mindfulness – In the high stress, high-intensity environment of college, it is important to find time to stress-bust and be present. Learning mindfulness practices can reduce anxiety and improve cognition.
  • Intermittent Fasting – Studies in both humans and animal models have shown significant health benefits of time-restricted feeding and intermittent fasting, such as weight loss, metabolic and heart health and even protection of healthy cells and tissue during injury and chemotherapy, for example. Intermittent fasting typically refers to not eating for periods between 12 and 36 hours at a time.

The five pillars are supported by LIFE Apps content to educate students with scientific research in an easy-to-consume format.

Social ‘circles’ encourage students to give and get social support while they work to improve their healthspans. Circles can be created and managed by both students as well as college wellness coordinators.

Additionally, universities can use LIFE Extend to collect survey data as well as present wellness and healthcare plans via our “Today” tile.

LIFE Extend for Student Wellness provides colleges an easy to administer, cost-effective way to improve the health of their student population today and establish habits that will last a lifetime, just like their education.

Schedule a demo of LIFE Extend for Student Wellness today.

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