Understanding Motivation to Adhere to Guidelines for Alcohol Intake, Physical Activity, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among U.K. University Students

Summary

Background To encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles, governments in many countries publish guidelines for alcohol intake, physical activity (PA), and fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. However, there is a need for better understanding of whether people understand such guidelines, consider them useful, and adhere to them. University students are a group worthy of attention because although they are less likely than older adults to exceed U.K. weekly alcohol intake guidelines or to be inactive, they are also less likely to meet FV consumption targets. Furthermore, because behavior during youth predicts adult behavior, it is important to identify influences on healthier behavior. Method An online survey was completed by 559 U.K. university students. Key outcome variables were knowledge