Study: Student Loan Worries Affect New College Students’ Mental Health

Last Updated on Friday, 23 September 2011 01:20 Written by Natural Health Team Friday, 23 September 2011 01:20

Health Information about Study: Student Loan Worries Affect New College Students’ Mental Health

Researchers at the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California in Los Angeles say that worries about student loans are having a measurable negative impact on the mental health of first-year college students.

The latest results, from the fall of 2010, of the long-standing annual study “The American Freshman: National Norms” show that the overall mental health of first-year students in college has dropped to a 25-year low, prompted in part by concerns about the economy and paying for college.

Surveyed students among the class of 2014 cited growing concern about the current state of the economy and the need to pay for higher education with student loans as a primary cause of chronic stress.

About half of the study subjects reported that they had had to take out student loans to pay for their education. Researchers say that these students also expressed uncertainty about their ability to repay their college loans after graduation.

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Indirect woes related to students’ families and the economy also had a pronounced effect on new students. Paternal unemployment was cited as a serious concern of nearly 5 percent of students surveyed, while 8.6 percent of students reported that maternal unemployment was a significant concern.

Researchers report that a growing number of new college students can’t rely on family support to finance their education and must take on the burden of paying for college themselves by finding available student loans, grants, and scholarships. Nearly three-fourths of the study participants reported that they received some grants or scholarships to help defray their higher education expenses, the highest reported proportion since 2001.

The study also noted that participants reported feeling frequently overwhelmed as high school seniors and that female participants reported a significantly lower state of mental health than did their male counterparts.

The study, which has been conducted annually since 1966, examines, among other things, the mental health status of more than 200,000 full-time first-year college students at nearly 280 four-year higher education institutions throughout the United States. Participation in the study is voluntary, and the survey questions are focused on the students’ self-perceptions of mental health.

Researchers say that the study results should serve as a warning to college administrators that students who are already overwhelmed with worries about financial and family matters when they arrive on campus may respond to high or increasing levels of stress by managing their time poorly, performing poorly in classes, or turning to drugs and alcohol or other self-destructive behaviors in an attempt to relieve stress.

Barely 52 percent of participants classified their perceived mental health status as “in the highest 10 percent” or “above average.” This characterization reflects a drop of 3.4 percent from the answers given by first-year students in 2009, and a drop of 11.7 percent from 1985, when mental health self-assessment questions were first added to the survey.

Concerns about the economy and post-graduation employment may be driving students to work harder. The study indicates that participants reported a stronger drive to achieve and higher perceived academic abilities than did past study participants. Nearly three-fourths of study participants said better earning potential was the chief benefit of a college degree.

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College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 1

Last Updated on Monday, 5 September 2011 03:10 Written by Natural Health Team Monday, 5 September 2011 03:10

Health Information about College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 1

College life is different from home life. You have to cook for yourself unlike before. You tend to eat outside frequently or gorge on junk food as you are too tired or lazy to cook. Frequent late night parties (or perhaps last minute late night studying), pizzas, little or no exercise and a tire around your tummy can be the characteristics of your college life. It is important, therefore, that you do all you can to lead a healthy life in college. This article is part 1 of the series that provides simple do’s and don’ts for leading a healthy life. Healthy Life Tip #1: Walk whenever you can Do your best to walk around as much as you can. Instead of taking shortcuts to go somewhere, use the longer way. Walk around from corner to corner in the campus. Walking is the best and simplest exercise that you can quickly do all through the day while performing your regular tasks. Healthy Life Tip #2: Use the gym in your college campus The gym in your college campus is not only going to be close by, but also likely to be free or relatively cheaper than gyms off-campus. Utilize the gym to work out on a regular basis. Healthy Life Tip #3: Find a workout partner If you find it easier to workout with a partner encouraging you and pushing you at all times, find yourself a workout partner. This person should be someone who is equally interested in working out on a regular basis and one who is willing to help you out in meeting your goals while you help him out in meeting his goals.

mylikes.com Heres a peek at our healthy living style. We shop mainly at Costco and trader Joes. Although we spend more money on natural/organic foods, its well worth it!!! Benji brought up a good point that its worth paying a little more for natural foods than it is paying for a heart attack. When I say natural, I mean non-processed foods, no high fructose corn syrup, etc. As for exercising, I personally do not enjoy it! Thankfully theres Zumba where you can work out yet have fun! Another great workout are kettlebells. It’s a full body workout with minimal time Benji’s Kettle Bell video www.youtube.com Benji’s Twitter www.twitter.com Facebook me your video request www.facebook.com Tweet me www.twitter.com Blog www.itsjudytime.blogspot.com BlogTV http Personal youtube www.youtube.com Disclaimer: This video is Sponsored via MyLikes Create videos for stuff you like and make money – mylikes.com tags: healthy, fit, healthy lifestyle, diet, costco, costco haul, fruits, healthy foods, itsjudytime, its judy time, it’s judy time, benji, benjimantv, exercise, kettle bell, kettlebell, simple exercise, easy exercise, itsjudyslife, its judys life, it’s judys life

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ProjectBoobies.com Helps College Team Raise $2,000 to Fight Breast Cancer

Last Updated on Monday, 5 September 2011 03:27 Written by Natural Health Team Monday, 5 September 2011 03:27

Health Information about ProjectBoobies.com Helps College Team Raise ,000 to Fight Breast Cancer

ProjectBoobies.com is different than other companies selling breast cancer tee shirts because our sole focus is how can we help.  In the late fall, we had the opportunity to help a small college in Iowa make a difference in their community and we would also love to help your college team and/or organization do the same so that we can beat breast cancer through self exams and raising money.

Our regular focus charity is Kokolulu Farms and Cancer Retreats that is located in Hawaii.  In case you don’t know, Kokolulu is a miraculous non-profit that focuses on helping cancer survivors to win the mental battle with cancer and we sell our breast cancer shirts to help them raise funds.  Additionally, the logo on our breast cancer tee shirts and tagline of “Grab A Feel so Cancer Can’t Steal” are reminders for people to do self checks for breast cancer because the best way to defeat this horrific disease.

This fall, we found an opportunity to team with the Iowa Central Cross Country Team in their 4th annual “Race to Erase Breast Cancer”. While it was not an actual race, their team sold breast cancer tee shirts, along with other donation avenues, to raise money for the Fort Dodge Trinity Regional Cancer Center.  The results were outstanding and this small college team was able to make a big impact and raise nearly ,000 for this medical center.  Our part was to provide breast cancer shirts at a price that just covered our costs and the result was over 100 projectboobies.com shirts sold!  The college had created their own awesome shirt design but found that our breast cancer tees outsold theirs by multiple times.  We are very humbled by the outcome that college students loved our breast cancer clothes design which resulted in so much money being raised to fight breast cancer.

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So how can we help your high school, college, or other organization raise money to help a regional cancer charity raise money with our breast cancer shirts?  The first step is to check us out because we want you to be comfortable that we are really in breast cancer clothes to beat breast cancer.  Feel free to contact Lew at Kokolulu Farms and Cancer Retreats as we have worked with their charity on multiple fronts as they work to help cancer survivors win the mental battle with cancer.  Contact the cross country coach at Iowa Central in Ft. Dodge to verify we were great partners to work with for their breast cancer fundraiser.  Check out our Twitter account that has over 3,000 followers.  The other option is to use Google, Yahoo, Bing, and/or other search engines and do a search.  If you search breast cancer tees, breast cancer clothes, or breast cancer shirts, you will find projectboobies.com on the first or second page of search results.  We are passionate about beating breast cancer and it shows in everything we do!  Please visit our website to learn more about breast self checks, breast cancer statistics, and to check out our breast cancer tee shirts.

Hopefully this communication helps you understand a little about our goals and how we’d like to work together to kick breast cancer’s ass!  If you are a celebrity, we would love it if a brave one would be the first to help us.  We can be reached on email at howcanwehelp@projectboobies.com or you can @projectboobies us on Twitter to find out how we can work together.

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College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 2

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 August 2011 07:10 Written by Natural Health Team Saturday, 27 August 2011 07:10

Health Information about College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 2

Unless you are leading a healthy life in college, you are bound to put on weight. This article is part 2 of the series that provides simple tips on leading a healthy life in college. Healthy Life Tip #4: Join a sports team Even if you have never played any sports till date, it is a good idea to join a sports team. This will not only keep you healthy but will give you an opportunity to meet new people and liven up your social life. Healthy Life Tip #5: Make smart and healthy eating choices There are many choices we can make when it comes to eating. We can choose the healthier option or the ones that add up calories. Below are simple healthy eating do’s and don’ts: 1.Whenever there is a choice, choose to drink diet soda. Diet soda has considerably less calories than regular soda. 2.Ensure that you eat salad, fruit or vegetables along with your dinner every time. 3.Do not skip your breakfast. Your breakfast can provide you the energy to go around all through the day. 4.Do not eat dessert every time you eat. Skipping it once in a while would ensure that you have less calorie intake while you still get to enjoy eating them on other days. 5.Keep healthy snacks with you at all times. This would mean that whenever you are hungry, you have something healthy to munch instead of picking up junk food that would add up to your calorie intake. 6.Make smart choices especially when eating food late at night. The healthier the option, the better it is. If you ordering pizza, for instance, it is not essential to have all the toppings. Choose the healthy ones.

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College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 3

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 August 2011 05:11 Written by Natural Health Team Saturday, 27 August 2011 05:11

Health Information about College Do’s & Don’ts ? Tips for leading a healthy life: Part 3

Unless you are leading a healthy life in college, you are bound to put on weight. This article is part 3 of the series that provides simple tips on leading a healthy life in college. Healthy Life Tip #6: Use your weekend smartly Can you go for a run or play around with your friends over the weekend? If yes, then choose something physical to do instead of going for a movie or staying in your room and watching TV. Healthy Life Tip #7: Drink water all through the day Water not only cleanses your body but also provides it the necessary energy required for functioning well. Experts say it is essential to drink at least 8 glasses of water all through the day. Make sure you drink adequately. Carry a water bottle if you are going to be out for long periods of time. Healthy Life Tip #8: Do not skip meals or keep your stomach empty for long periods Do not skip your meals no matter how busy you are. Keeping your stomach empty for long periods of time is not good for your body. This is also one of the reasons why you would tend to eat whatever is available instead of what you should eat. Ensure that you carry some healthy snacks with you to avoid these situations. Healthy Life Tip #9: Healthy living does not mean you cannot eat other stuff at all Healthy living does not mean you cannot eat your favorite dessert or ice cream at all. It only means that you do not eat it every day. It means you let your craving take over you, but only once in a while, not everyday.

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