Few studies have examined the context of a wide range of risk behaviors among emerging adults (ages 18-25 years), approximately half of whom in the USA enroll in post-secondary educational institutions. The objective of this research was to examine behavioral patterning in weight behaviors (diet and physical activity), substance use, sexual behavior, stress, and sleep among undergraduate students. Health survey data were collected among undergraduates attending a large, public US university (n=2,026). Latent class analysis was used to identify homogeneous, mutually exclusive "classes" (patterns) of ten leading risk behaviors. Resulting classes differed for males and females. Female classes were defined as: (1) poor lifestyle (diet, physical activity, sleep), yet low-risk behaviors (e.g., smoking, binge drinking, sexual risk, drunk driving; 40.0% of females), (2) high risk (high substance use, intoxicated sex, drunk driving, poor diet, inadequate sleep) (24.3%), (3) moderate lifestyle, few risk behaviors (20.4%), (4) "health conscious" (favorable diet/physical activity with some unhealthy weight control; 15.4%). Male classes were: (1) poor lifestyle, low risk (with notably high stress, insufficient sleep, 9.2% of males), (2) high risk (33.6% of males, similar to class 2 in females), (3) moderate lifestyle, low risk (51.0%), and (4) "classic jocks" (high physical activity, binge drinking, 6.2%). To our knowledge, this is among the first research to examine complex lifestyle patterning among college youth, particularly with emphasis on the role of weight-related behaviors. These findings have important implications for targeting much needed health promotion strategies among emerging adults and college youth.

University student lifestyles may be characterized by a variety of coexisting risk factors. These findings indicate that both debt and stress were associated with wide-ranging adverse health indicators. Intervention strategies targeting at-risk student populations need to be tailored to work within the context of the many challenges of college life, which may serve as barriers to healthy lifestyles. Increased health promotion efforts targeting stress, financial management, and weight-related health behaviors may be needed to enhance wellness among young adults.

In 2011, the Institute of Medicine highlighted the significant lack of research on the health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) groups.1 Research has indicated that LGB adults experience worse health outcomes than their heterosexual peers. 2---11 These disparities may be attributable to an array of factors, including stigmatization, stress, and limited access to and use of health services. 1,12,13 Furthermore, much of the work in this area to date has not focused on the college years. Because nearly half of US high school graduates up to age 24 years are enrolled in postsecondary education, 27 colleges and universities offer unique environments for addressing health disparities among young people, including those of LGB students. For many, the college years represent a time during which health disparities emerge 28,29 and adverse changes occur in weight, dietary quality, physical activity, and other behaviors. 30---38 For LGB people, this age is commonly when sexual identity is declared and assimilation into the LGB community occurs. 39 Important postsecondary institutions that could act as platforms for intervention delivery include not only traditional 4-year universities but also 2-year community and technical colleges, which serve millions of students, particularly those from lower income and minority backgrounds. 40,41The objective of this study was to characterize gender-specific weight-related disparities among college students by sexual orientation. We analyzed state survey data of nearly 34 000 students attending a wide array of 2-and 4-year colleges and universities in 2007 to 2011, including a subsample of more than 2000 LGB-identified and LGB-questioning participants. This research was intended to fill several gaps in the literature. For example, although a recent wave of studies 11, 19,22---25 were published after the release of the Institute of Medicine report, 1 most of these studies used data from 1999 to 2007 and thus were not able to characterize disparities during the past 5 to 8 years (when important societal shifts in weight-related factors 42,43 and social shifts regarding LGB issues occurred). Moreover, a majority of these studies focused not on the college years but rather on adulthood overall (e.g., 18---74 years) or on adolescence (e.g., 9th---12th grade). Finally, only a small number of studies have examined population-level LGB disparities in dietary intake or physical activity, 11,20,25,26 which are critical factors to address in weight-related intervention strategies.Among the few population-based studies that have addressed diet and activity, unidimensional indicators have been used to assess fruit and vegetable consumption or moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, but these studies have generally lacked characterization of other important dietary factorsObjectives. We assessed disparities in weight and weight-related behaviors among college students by sexual orientation and gender.Methods. We performed cross-sectional analyses of pooled annual data (2007-2011; ...

Go-along interviewing is an innovative approach to obtaining contextualized perspectives by conducting mobile interviews in which the participant acts as a navigational guide of the real or virtual space within which he or she lives. In this study, we used go-along interviews to obtain college students' contextualized perceptions of sexual health resources. Seventy-eight undergraduate students showed and described the resources on and near five campuses in a Midwestern state. In this article, we focus on the methodology of go-along interviews. The go-along, a relatively new methodology in health research, is a format in which participants take an active role in shaping the interview, and it facilitates identification of resources that might be overlooked using traditional interview formats. The go-along methodology is promising for researchers wanting to ground health-promotion efforts in the context of environmental or community-based strengths and needs.

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