Skip to main content

Wellness Facts and Figures

BroncoFit conducts the American College Health Association’s (ACHA) National College Health Assessment (NCHA) on a bi-annual basis. The NCHA supports the health of the campus community by highlighting short- and long-term health behaviors and gaining a current profile of health trends within the campus community.

The following results are specific to the Boise State University campus. To compare to national standards, please select the highlighted “national reference group” for each corresponding year. 

Not all results received have been reported on this page. For the complete executive summary, or to see previous survey results, please contact The Office of BroncoFit at wellness@boisestate.edu.

NCHA III Spring 2020 Results

Demographics and Sample Characteristics

Response Rate

  • 743 total respondents of a randomized sample of 5,000
  • 14.9% response rates

Age

Age Percent
18-20 years 30.2%
21-24 years 25.5%
25-29 years 16.0%
30+ years 28.3

Gender

Gender Percent
Female 68.4%
Male 28.1%
Non-binary 2.8%

Student Status

Status Percent
18-20 years 30.2%
1st year undergraduate 16.4%
2nd year undergraduate 13.6%
3rd year undergraduate 19.1%
4th year undergraduate 17.5%
5th year or more undergraduate 7.9%
Master’s (MA, MS, MFA, MBA, etc.) 19.6%
Doctorate (PhD, EdD, MD, JD, etc.) 2.8%
Not seeking a degree 0.9%
Other 2.2%
Full-time student 75.0%
Part-time student 24.1%
Other student 1.0%

Identity

Identity Percent
Straight/Heterosexual 83.9%
Asexual 0.9%
Bisexual 6.6%
Gay 1.9%
Lesbian 2.2%
Pansexual 2.0%
Queer 0.7%
Questioning 1.4%
Identity not listed above 0.4%

Housing

Housing Percent
18-20 years 30.2%
1st year undergraduate 16.4%
2nd year undergraduate 13.6%
3rd year undergraduate 19.1%
4th year undergraduate 17.5%
5th year or more undergraduate 7.9%
Master’s (MA, MS, MFA, MBA, etc.) 19.6%
Doctorate (PhD, EdD, MD, JD, etc.) 2.8%
Not seeking a degree 0.9%
Other 2.2%
Full-time student 75.0%
Part-time student 24.1%
Other student 1.0%

First-Generation

The proportion of students for whom no parent/guardian have completed a bachelor’s degree

  • 44.2%

Member of a social fraternity or sorority

Identity Percent
Straight/Heterosexual 83.9%
Asexual 0.9%
Bisexual 6.6%
Gay 1.9%
Lesbian 2.2%
Pansexual 2.0%
Queer 0.7%
Questioning 1.4%
Identity not listed above 0.4%

Ethnicity

Ethnicity Percent
American Indian or Native Alaskan 3.0%
Asian or Asian American 4.7%
Black or African American 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino/a/x 9.7%
Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) or Arab Origin 0.5%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Native 0.8%
White 82.9%
Biracial or Multiracial 2.4%
Identify not listed above 1.2%

A. General Health and Campus Climate

General Finding

  • 52.0 % of college students surveyed ( 61.4 % male and 48.9 % female) described their health as very good or excellent.

Sense of Belonging

Proportion of college students who reported they agree or strongly agree that:

% Male Female Total
I feel that I belong at my college/university 67.0 70.6 69.1
I feel that students’ health and well-being is a priority at my college/university 49.8 55.0 52.6
At my college/university, I feel that the campus climate encourages free and open discussion of students’ health and well-being 56.0 58.0 56.4
At my college/university, we are a campus where we look out for each other 46.6 53.2 50.3

B. Nutrition, BMI, Physical Activity, and Food Security

General Finding

  • 52.0 % of college students surveyed ( 61.4 % male and 48.9 % female) described their health as very good or excellent.

Sense of Belonging

Proportion of college students who reported they agree or strongly agree that:

% Male Female Total
I feel that I belong at my college/university 67.0 70.6 69.1
I feel that students’ health and well-being is a priority at my college/university 49.8 55.0 52.6
At my college/university, I feel that the campus climate encourages free and open discussion of students’ health and well-being 56.0 58.0 56.4
At my college/university, we are a campus where we look out for each other 46.6 53.2 50.3

C. Health Care Utilization

General Findings

College students reported:

% Male Female Total
Receiving psychological or mental health services within the last 12 months 16.3 30.3 27.0
Visiting a medical provider within the last 12 months 63.6 81.5 76.4

D. Impediments to Academic Performance

Affected Academic Performance

Problems or challenges in the last 12 months:

% Male Female Total
Career 10.0 15.4 13.9
Finances 15.3 16.9 17.1
Procrastination 45.0 37.4 39.7
Faculty 3.8 5.7 5.5
Family 9.1 11.6 11.0
Intimate Relationships 11.0 11.8 11.4
Roommate/housemate 4.3 7.1 6.5
Peers 2.4 4.5 4.2
Personal appearance 4.8 6.5 6.2
Health of someone close to me 11.5 9.8 10.5
Death of a family member, friend, or someone close to me 6.2 11.4 9.8
Bullying 1.9 2.4 2.3
Cyberbullying 1.0 1.2 1.2
Hazing 0.5 0.4 0.4
Microaggression 1.4 2.2 2.4
Sexual Harassment 1.0 1.8 1.6
Discrimination 2.4 2.4 2.6

E. Violence, Abusive Relationships, and Personal Safety

Sense of Safety

College students reported feeling very safe :

% Male Female Total
On their campus (daytime) 87.1 78.2 80.6
On their campus (nighttime) 61.4 21.5 33.1
In the community surrounding their campus (daytime) 73.7 57.9 62.1
In the community surrounding their campus (nighttime) 40.7 16.9 23.9

Violence & Abusive Relationships

Within the last 12 months, college students reported experiencing:

% Male Female Total
A physical fight 3.4 1.6 2.0
A physical assault (not sexual assault) 1.4 2.0 1.9
A verbal threat 9.6 9.7 10.0
Sexual touching without their consent 2.9 6.3 5.4
Sexual penetration attempt without their consent 1.0 1.0 1.1
Sexual penetration without their consent .5 1.2 1.1
Being a victim of stalking 1.9 3.8 3.7
A partner called me names, insulted me, or put me down to make me feel bad 10.0 14.2 13.0
A partner often insisted on knowing who I was with and where I was or tried to limit my contact with family or friends 5.7 6.7 6.4
A partner pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped, kicked, bit, choked or hit me without my consent 4.3 2.6 3.1
A partner forced me into unwanted sexual contact by holding me down or hurting me in some way 1.0 1.4 1.2
A partner pressured me into unwanted sexual contact by threatening me, coercing me, or using alcohol or other drugs 1.4 2.4 2.2

F. Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Use

General Findings

Reported ever using:

% Male Female Total
Tobacco or nicotine delivery products (cigarettes, ecigarettes, Juul or other vape products, water pipe or hookah, chewing tobacco, cigars, etc.) 49.8 35.6 39.7
Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor, etc.) 74.2 78.1 77.3
Cannabis (marijuana, weed, hash, edibles, vaped cannabis, etc.) [Please report nonmedical use only.] 42.8 43.7 44.1
Prescription opioids (morphine, codeine, fentanyl, oxycodone [OxyContin, Percocet], hydrocodone [Vicodin], methadone, buprenorphine [Suboxone], etc.) [Please report nonmedical use only.] 7.2 5.7 6.5

Tobacco and Nicotine Delivery Products

*Reported using tobacco or nicotine delivery products used in the last 3 months:

*These figures use all students in the sample as the denominator, rather than just those students who reported tobacco or nicotine delivery product use in the last 3 months.

% Male Female Total
Cigarettes 11.0 6.5 7.9
E-cigarettes or other vape products (for example: Juul, etc.) 20.6 12.8 14.8
Water pipe or hookah 1.9 1.0 1.3
Chewing or smokeless tobacco 3.8 0.6 1.5
Cigars or little cigars 9.1 1.6 3.9
Other 3.3 0.2 1.1

Driving Under the Influence

  • 17.8 % of college students reported driving after having any alcohol in the last 30 days.* *Only students who reported driving in the last 30 days and drinking alcohol in the last 30 days were asked this question.
  • 33.0 % of college students reported driving within 6 hours of using cannabis/marijuana in the last 30 days.* *Only students who reported driving in the last 30 days and using cannabis in the last 30 days were asked this question

Alcohol Consumption

*Reported number of drinks consumed the last time students drank alcohol in a social setting.

*Only students who reported drinking alcohol in the last three months were asked this question

% Male Female Total
4 or fewer 69.2 82.9 78.8
5 8.9 6.3 7.0
6 10.3 5.3 6.8
7 or more 11.6 5.5 7.4

*College students who drank alcohol reported experiencing the following in the last 12 months when drinking
alcohol:

*Only students who reported drinking alcohol in the last 12 months were asked these questions.

% Male Female Total
Did something I later regretted 15.3 19.7 18.4
Blackout (forgot where I was or what I did for a large period of time and cannot remember, even when someone reminds me) 13.3 14.1 14.0
Brownout (forgot where I was or what I did for short periods of time, but can remember once someone reminds me) 24.7 21.4 22.4
Got in trouble with the police 1.3 0.7 0.8
Got in trouble with college/university authorities 2.5 0.7 1.2
Someone had sex with me without my consent 0.6 1.7 1.5
Had sex with someone without their consent 0.6 0.5 0.5
Had unprotected sex 15.2 10.9 11.9
Physically injured myself 6.3 5.4 5.5
Physically injured another person 1.3 0.7 1.0
Seriously considered suicide 2.5 1.7 2.2
Needed medical help 1.9 1.0 1.2
Reported one or more of the above 24.0 24.3 24.1

G. Sexual Behavior

Oral Sex

When, if ever, was the last time you had oral sex:

% Male Female Total
Never 26.8 22.7 23.9
Within the last 2 weeks 32.5 34.3 33.5
More than 2 weeks ago but within the last 30 days 8.6 8.0 8.0
More than 30 days ago but within the last 3 months 11.5 9.4 10.1
More than 3 months ago but within the last 12 months 7.2 12.4 11.0
More than 12 months ago 13.4 13.3 13.5

Vaginal Sex

% Male Female Total
Never 28.5 23.5 25.1
Within the last 2 weeks 41.5 47.8 45.6
More than 2 weeks ago but within the last 30 days 5.8 5.6 5.5
More than 30 days ago but within the last 3 months 9.2 6.6 7.5
More than 3 months ago but within the last 12 months 6.8 7.8 7.5
More than 12 months ago 8.2 8.8 8.9

Anal Sex

% Male Female Total
Never 72.0 70.9 70.8
Within the last 2 weeks 4.3 2.6 3.3
More than 2 weeks ago but within the last 30 days 2.9 1.6 1.9
More than 30 days ago but within the last 3 months 3.9 4.0 3.8
More than 3 months ago but within the last 12 months 2.9 5.2 4.7
More than 12 months ago 14.0 15.6 15.5

Use of Barrier Methods

College students who reported having oral sex, or vaginal or anal intercourse within the last 30 days who reported using a condom or another protective barrier most of the time or always:

% Male Female Total
Oral Sex 4.7 4.3 4.3
Vaginal Sex 35.7 28.2 30.2
Anal Sex 26.7 23.8 26.3

Pregnancy Prevention

College students who reported having vaginal intercourse (penis in vagina) within the last 12 months were asked if they or their partner used any method to prevent pregnancy the last time they had vaginal intercourse:

% Male Female Total
Yes, used a method of contraception 75.6 81.7 80.1
No, did not want to prevent pregnancy 6.9 5.0 5.6
No, did not use any method 16.0 13.0 13.7
Don’t know 1.5 0.3 0.6

H. Mental Health and Wellbeing

Kessler 6 (K6) Non-Specific Psychological Distress Score (Range is 0-24)

% Male Female Total
No or low psychological distress (0-8) 70.2 68.5 68.3
Moderate psychological distress (9-12) 15.1 17.0 16.6
Serious psychological distress (13-24) 14.6 14.5 15.0

UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS3) Score (Range is 3-9)

% Male Female Total
Negative for loneliness (3-5) 60.3 59.9 59.8
Positive for loneliness (6-9) 39.7 40.1 40.2

Overall Stress Experienced

Within the last 12 months, how would you rate the overall level of stress experienced:

% Male Female Total
No stress 5.7 1.8 2.8
Low 29.7 22.6 24.5
Moderate 49.3 50.2 49.9
High 15.3 25.4 22.8

I. Acute Conditions

Experienced Acute Conditions

% Male Female Total
Cold/virus or other respiratory illness (for example: sinus infection, ear infection, strep throat, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, or laryngitis) 22.5 41.0 35.7
Flu (influenza) or flu-like illness 14.4 14.6 14.6
Orthopedic injury (for example: broken bone, fracture, sprain, bursitis, tendinitis, or ligament injury) 9.2 10.1 9.9

J. Ongoing or Chronic Conditions

Mental Health

College students reported ever being diagnosed with the following:

% Male Female Total
ADD/ADHD – Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 12.9 9.1 10.6
Anxiety (for example: Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobia) 17.2 35.1 30.4
Depression (for example: Major depression, persistent depressive disorder, disruptive mood disorder) 15.9 28.0 25.2
Eating Disorders (for example: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge-Eating) 1.4 4.4 3.4
Insomnia 3.4 8.3 7.1

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

% Male Female Total
Genital herpes 0.0 1.6 1.1
Hepatitis B or C 0.5 0.4 0.4
HIV or AIDS 0.0 0.2 0.1
Human papillomavirus (HPV) or genital warts 0.5 5.9 4.2

Diabetes

Total representation of students reported they have been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes/insulin resistance:

% Male Female Total
Ever diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes/insulin resistance 1.9 3.4 3.3

Students who reported being diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes/insulin resistance, indicated they had:

% Male Female Total
Type I Diabetes 25.0 25.0 21.1
Type II Diabetes 25.0 8.3 10.5
Pre-diabetes or insulin resistance 50.0 62.5 65.2
Gestational Diabetes 0.0 15.4 15.0

K. Sleep

General Findings

Reported amount of time to usually fall asleep at night (sleep onset latency):

% Male Female Total
Less than 15 minutes 51.4 46.0 47.6
16 to 30 minutes 25.0 25.2 24.8
31 minutes or more 23.6 28.8 27.6

Over the last 2 weeks, students reported the following average amount of sleep
(excluding naps):

% Male Female Total
Less than 7 hours 43.1 40.8 42.2
7 to 9 hours 56.5 57.6 56.5
10 or more hours 0.5 1.6 1.4

View previous NCHA results!

Fall 2017 NCHA Results
Back To Top