Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the latent profiles of healthy lifestyles among college students and examines their associations with physical activity levels, thereby establishing a scientific foundation for developing targeted interventions to address sub-health conditions. METHODS: From October to December 2024, a stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 2,058 college students from two representative universities in Henan Province. Data were collected through validated questionnaires, including the College Students’ Healthy Lifestyle Assessment Scale (CSHLAS) and the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Data analysis was performed using Mplus 8.3 and SPSS 26.0 software. RESULTS: College students’ healthy lifestyles were classified into three latent profiles: Health Crisis Type (15.65%), Sub-health Adjustment Type (56.26%), and Healthy Vitality Type (28.09%). Statistically significant differences in the distribution of lifestyle profiles were observed across students’ majors, family living areas, and parental education levels (all P < 0.01). Compared with the Healthy Vitality Type, the risk of low physical activity was 6.99 times (95% CI = 3.84–12.71) and 2.29 times (95% CI = 1.59–3.28) higher in the Health Crisis Type and Sub-health Adjustment Type, respectively (both P < 0.001). The risk of moderate physical activity was 2.66 times (95% CI = 1.52–4.66) and 1.54 times (95% CI = 1.14–2.08) higher, respectively (both P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient physicalactivity among college students is a significant issue, and their healthy lifestyle behaviors exhibit heterogeneity, which is significantly associated with physical activity levels. Targeted, individualized, and precise interventions should be developed, particularly for students from rural areas and those majoring in the humanities and medical sciences, in order to reduce the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles.