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Health Risk Behaviors Among University Students: A Latent Class Analysis and its Association With Mental Health
Tânia Brandão1, Maria João Gouveia2, David Dias Neto2
1William James Center for Research, Ispa-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal.
Psychological Reports
|July 29, 2026
Summary
University students
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Health behaviors (HB) are crucial for university students' academic success and overall well-being.
- Understanding patterns of health behaviors is essential for developing effective interventions.
- Previous research indicates a link between lifestyle and mental health in this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore health behaviors among university students.
- To identify distinct patterns (classes) of health behaviors.
- To examine the relationship between these health behavior patterns and mental health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Latent Class Analysis (LCA) used to identify health behavior patterns.
- Sample of 1085 university students from a private higher-education institution.
Main Results:
- Three distinct health behavior classes were identified: Healthy/Low-risk (68%), Unhealthy habits - high-stress (15.7%), and Unhealthy habits - substance-use (16.3%).
- The Unhealthy habits - high-stress group reported significantly worse mental health outcomes compared to the other groups.
- Health behaviors are interdependent components of broader lifestyle patterns.
Conclusions:
- Health behaviors cluster into distinct patterns among university students.
- Targeted interventions are needed to address unhealthy lifestyle patterns, especially those characterized by high stress.
- Promoting healthier lifestyle patterns can support student mental health and academic well-being.
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