Seasonal Differences Of Physical Activity, Sleep, And Ecological Momentary Assessment In First-year College Students

Wearable technology use is rapidly increasing in popularity amongst college students. The ability of wearable devices to allow tracking of physical activity and sleep offers a means to self-monitor and reflect upon daily habits that may impact classroom performance. This study provides individualized real-time feedback on habits including: daily physical activity, nightly sleep, and weekly Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) of mood, academic engagement, and social connectivity. We hypothesize that these outcomes vary seasonally and may provide insight into students’ well-being during the first-year acclimation period. PURPOSE: Examine seasonal changes of physical activity, sleep, and EMA scores among first-year college students across fall (F: Sep- Dec) and winter (W: Jan - Apr) semesters. METHODS: 303 first-year college students were recruited over 4 semesters (2F, 2 W). Participants received a wearable device to wear daily and nightly and a mobile app for survey completion over an academic semester. Surveys reflected weekly mental health, academic engagement, social connectivity, and drug and alcohol use. T-tests compared fall vs. winter results. RESULTS: 249 participants (82%) met study compliance requirements (A). First-year students averaged 10,326 daily steps and 403 nightly sleep minutes. No significant differences were observed for average daily steps (p = 0.66) and nightly sleep minutes (p = 0.81) between fall and winter terms (B,C). However, standard deviation in daily step count was significantly lower in winter (p < 0.01). Significant improvement in mood score (G,H) was observed in winter (p < 0.05) with no other significant differences across survey outcomes by season. CONCLUSION: Seasonal differences have little effect on average step and sleep habits of first-year students. In contrast, elevated mood scores suggest additional factors corresponding to student wellness are not tied to seasonal changes in physical activity and sleep. Supported by: This study was funded by the University of Michigan Bioscience Initiative