AUTHOR=Licata Francesca , Citrino Emma Antonia , Maruca Riccardo , Di Gennaro Gianfranco , Bianco Aida 

TITLE=Procrastination and risky health behaviors: a possible way to nurture health promotion among young adults in Italy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432763

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432763

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: The study's main objectives were to evaluate the distribution of levels of procrastination and its relationship with sleep quality, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and skipping breakfast, as a proxy measure of an unhealthy dietary pattern, among Italian university students.A cross-sectional study was conducted at the "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro in the Southern part of Italy, using stratified random sampling techniques. Eligible students were sent an anonymous online survey aimed at assessing sociodemographic characteristics, procrastination levels using the Pure Procrastination Scale, sleep quality using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, smoking status, alcohol intake using WHO's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tool, and breakfast habits. Results: The study included 518 participants with a mean age of 23 year. More than half of the sample was enrolled in medicine or life science majors and the procrastination mean score was 15 (±5.9 SD). Being procrastinators was significantly more frequently among students who were poor sleepers, hazardous alcohol consumers and breakfast skippers. When analyzing the clustering of risky behaviors, it was found that as the number of risky behaviors increased, the procrastination score exhibited an exponential increase. Conclusions: The study findings suggest a correlation between procrastination and poor sleep quality, hazardous alcohol consumption and skipping breakfast among university students. Universities can act as hubs for cultivating a culture of well-being and increasing the required awareness to change any deeply ingrained behavior pattern. Providing free consultations by working with medical experts and actively promoting them on campus may be an effective strategy.