Objectives: Identification of health-related risk behaviors associated with well-being in college students is essential to guide the development of health promotion strategies for this population. The purposes were to evaluate well-being among undergraduate students and to identify health-related risk behaviors that predict well-being in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional Web-based survey of undergraduate students was conducted at a metropolitan university in the Southeast United States. A total of 568 students responded (response rate 14.2%). Data were collected on health-related risk behaviors using the National College Health Assessment II. Results: Controlling demographic characteristics, the best predictive model included physical activity, current tobacco user, depression, ever received mental health services, and sleep quality, which was the strongest predictor (β = .45, p < .001). This model explained 35% of the variance in well-being. Conclusions: Interventions that promote sleep quality among college students may be most beneficial in improving well-being.

Although researchers and health care practitioners tend to use standard categories to classify smokers and nonsmokers, recent research suggests that individual smokers may use a variety of self-definitions regarding their smoking behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine smoking identity and smoking behavior among college students, specifically, the relationship between self-identifying as a smoker, nonsmoker, occasional smoker, or social smoker and number of days smoked in the past month. Data were obtained during a campuswide health assessment of randomly selected full-time students (N = 741). Results indicate discrepancy between smoking identity and cigarette use. Twenty percent of students who smoked in the past 30 days self-identified as nonsmokers. Such discrepancies have implications for data collection in research as well as on questionnaires and in health care interviews. Failure to understand actual smoking behavior may increase the risk that individuals will not receive effective smoking prevention and cessation interventions.

This study examines differences in well-being between sexual minority and heterosexual college students and identifies factors associated with well-being among sexual minority college students. A secondary analysis of cross-sectional web-based survey data was conducted. Using propensity score matching, 43 sexual minority students were matched to 43 heterosexual students on age, race, sex, and year in school. Sexual minorities had significantly lower well-being scores compared to heterosexual college students. Among sexual minorities, physical activity, depression, thoughts of suicide, and sleep quality were all predictive of well-being. Understanding issues related to well-being among sexual minorities is important and strategies need to be developed to improve well-being.