Details

Sub Category

Research: Nutritional habits/Weight gain

Posted: 10/12/2024

Many students often have poor dietary habits, characterised by inadequate nutrient intake and a high consumption of unhealthy foods. These poor dietary and sedentary patterns contribute to distress. Healthier dietary patterns are associated with greater resilience. Some research suggests first-year female students experienced significant weight gain, increased waist circumference, and body fat. All students exceeded the recommended intake for saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.

Gallo, L.A., Gallo, T.F., Young, S.L., Moritz, K.M., Akison, L.K., The Impact of Isolation Measures Due to COVID-19 on Energy Intake and Physical Activity Levels in Australian University Students, Nutrients, 2020. (link)

Whatnall, M.C., Patterson, A.J., Siew, Y.Y., Kay-Lambkin, F., Hutchesson, M.J., Are Psychological Distress and Resilience Associated with Dietary Intake Among Australian University Students? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019. (link)

Wilson, O. W. A., Walters, S. R., Naylor, M. E., & Clarke, J. C, Changes in Physical Activity and Motives following the Transition from High School to University. International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education, 2021. (link)

More Articles in Healthy Campus Projects

UniSport Hosts Healthy Campus Community of Practice Session Exploring Physical Activity and Sport

Posted: 25/09/2026

Forty-seven university representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji came together on Tuesday 22 September for the latest UniSport Healthy Campus Community of Practice (CoP), focused on the role of physical activity and sport in supporting healthy campus environments. The CoP sessions bring FISU Healthy Campus members together to share approaches and practical examples to implement Healthy Campus criteria on campus. This session covered criteria […]

RMIT University’s FISU Healthy Campus Accreditation Builds On University-Wide Wellbeing Work

Posted: 24/09/2026

RMIT University has achieved FISU Healthy Campus accreditation, recognising the range of work underway to support student health and wellbeing across the university. RMIT became a signatory to the FISU Healthy Campus Program in 2025 and achieved accreditation after meeting 40 criteria across six domains: Healthy Campus Management, Physical Activity and Sport, Nutrition, Disease Prevention, […]

Research: Different Exercise, Better Student Mental Health

Posted: 21/09/2026

Depression, anxiety and stress are common among university students, highlighting the need for accessible strategies that support mental health alongside existing services. Researchers conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 25 international randomised controlled trials involving 2,127 university students to compare different forms of exercise. Overall, exercise significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and […]

FISU Healthy Campus Program Signatories

Keep up to date

Interested in Healthy Campus Content? Sign up to our exclusive mailer.

Join the community

Stay up to date with Healthy Campus news from Australia and around the world.

UniSport acknowledges and pays respect to all traditional custodians of the lands of which we run, jump and throw throughout Australia. We pay respect to elders both past, present and emerging.