Healthy lifestyles and academic success in a sample of Italian university students

Scientific literature has shown that healthy lifestyles are implicated both in the risk reduction of several disorders and in the improvement of cognitive functions. The present study evaluated the association between lifestyle behaviors and academic performance in university students from twelve different degree courses at the University of Palermo, Italy. It was hypothesized that healthy lifestyles, measured as the practice of a good diet, satisfying quality of sleep, low-stress levels, perceived social support, abstention from the use of illegal drugs, non-problematic Internet use, and regular sports habits, were associated to academic success. A total of 466 students were surveyed (26.5% males). The results showed that academic success is positively correlated with perceived social support and negatively correlated with the level of Internet addiction. There was no correlation between academic success and perceived stress as well as with the amount of sleep hours. The data also indicated that students with a low CGPA were more likely to report use of illegal drugs and physical inactivity compared to students with high CGPA. This study focuses the attention on the relevance of promoting health-related behaviors not only to reduce the risk of illness but also to successfully increase the possibility of achieving life goals.