Testing the Hypothesis - Assignment 7

Opportunity: College students at the University of Florida live generally unhealthy lifestyles through their diet and daily routines, primarily due to their hectic schedules and responsibilities that leave them without the time required to care for one’s health.      

-          The who: College students at the University of Florida

-          The what: live unhealthy lifestyles through their diet and daily routines

-          The why: hectic schedules and responsibilities that leave them without the time required to care for one’s health

Testing the who: I think most Americans do not give their current health enough attention, not just college students. However, I chose to focus on college students since I am more confident that they have this need since I am one and observe others daily.

Testing the what: Unhealthy lifestyles can encompass a wide range of factors. I stick with diet primarily because I believe that is the most neglected aspect of our health. While daily routines may be just as important, I think college students do a better job of this; however, it is still a concern. Other aspects of a “healthy lifestyle” include weekend activities and outside influences such as family and friends.

Testing the why: If we stick primarily to college age students at UF, we can confidently pinpoint hectic schedules and large amounts of responsibility as the main cause. For others, it may be simply a matter of priorities and education of the matter; are they even aware of their negative decisions affecting their health?

Interview #1:

·         I interviewed a senior male who will be graduating this upcoming May. I wanted to interview a graduating senior to establish a baseline of someone who has spent a full four years at UF and had enough time to reflect on their health over those four years. He agreed that the problem is definitely more prevalent in college aged students compared to the average American working a 9-5 job. Moreover, he agreed that eating plays a big role, as he recently learned that trying to have an extended study session after a large meal drastically alters his mindset while studying. Lastly, he said he thinks the main “why” revolves around busy schedules.

Interview #2:

·         Next, I interviewed a health and wellness counselor from my hometown who does not necessarily deal with college students. When asked about a common demographic who complains the most about feeling lethargic and simply under the weather. She said it is hard to pinpoint a certain demographic because most of the time it is not about their age or occupation, but rather about the daily lifestyle choices they make. She mentioned that daily exercise and not living a sedentary lifestyle is a key contributor of overall feeling well.

Interview #3:

·         After interviewing the wellness counselor that does not interact solely with college aged students, I spoke the wellness counselor from UF. He mentioned that he thinks the largest contributor to “living a healthy lifestyle” is how students deal with stress. He said that some of the students that struggle the most with stress frequently find themselves disengaged from their once normal routine. He stated that that often times a student will be living a very balanced lifestyle, but once stressed out, will abandon some of the things they did that contributed to overall wellness. When he brought up the idea of incorporating their old routine, many students claimed that they did not have the time to do so. He thinks students underestimate the importance of making their bodies a priority.

Interview #4:

·        I wanted to interview a pre-med student to better understand what they may be learning in academia about lifestyle. She mentioned that one of her favorite classes was an elective where she learned about the body’s natural circadian rhythm and how it essentially controls our daily energy levels and functional effectiveness of our bodies. She was so intrigued about that topic that she went on to read a couple books all about managing our circadian rhythm. She said that taking that class had marginally changed her life, but laments that that was the only time she was taught such practical knowledge.

Interview #5:

·        Lastly, I interviewed a close family friend who works a classic 9-5 job. Since she is 55 years old, her lifestyle is drastically different than that of a college student. When I first asked about sleep patterns, she replied that about halfway through her career, she stopped requiring 7-8 hours of sleep to function well throughout the day. Having children and balancing a career naturally required lifestyle changes that might not be ideal. At first, she struggled a bit, but eventually she said her body started to adapt.

Write up on steps and What do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before? 

·         

• To summarize part four, I found that individual’s needs are significantly different from one another. Since each interview provided a different perspective, I was unable to better understand the needs change in accordance with the lifestyle a person currently chooses. My fifth interview was especially helpful in coming to this realization.

·         

• My fourth interview taught me that it does not require a formal class setting to educate college students on lifestyle habits. If an individual was interested in introducing a new habit to their lifestyle, they will certainly do so on their own accord and not wait passively for their formal education to teach them.

• ·         Finally, my why was confirmed through my third interview as I learned that most students do in fact blame a busy schedule for their inability to pay attention to their daily lifestyle habits.