Lifestyle Behaviors and Their Associations With Mental Health, Aggressive Behaviors and Academic Performance Among Assiut University Students

University students undergo a critical developmental transition from adolescence to adulthood, marked by increasing academic, social, and financial demands. This transition is accompanied by greater independence and substantial changes in daily routines, social environments, and personal responsibilities, which may make it more challenging for students to maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors. Consequently, unhealthy practices are common among university students, including physical inactivity, prolonged sedentary behavior, excessive screen time and problematic smartphone use, poor diet, tobacco and substance misuse, caffeine and energy drink consumption, and sleep deprivation.

These modifiable lifestyle factors are particularly critical during emerging adulthood, as health behaviors established during this period tend to persist into later life. Therefore, adopting unhealthy lifestyles during university may increase the long-term risk of chronic physical conditions and mental health disorders in adulthood. Promoting healthy lifestyles is consequently essential for safeguarding students' physical and psychological well-being and overall quality of life.

A balanced diet provides essential nutrients required for optimal physiological functioning. However, academic workload and social commitments may lead to skipped meals and frequent consumption of unhealthy foods, potentially resulting in nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, and impaired concentration. Physical activity is another important determinant of health. However, academic demands and sedentary lifestyles may contribute to insufficient physical activity and prolonged screen-based behaviors among university students. Similarly, tobacco use, substance misuse, and excessive consumption of energy drinks and caffeine represent potentially modifiable behaviors that adversely affect physical and psychological well-being. Problematic smartphone use has emerged as a particularly concerning behavior among university students, with global prevalence estimates ranging from 36.5% to 67%.

Sleep is another fundamental component of a healthy lifestyle and is essential for neurocognitive functioning, homeostatic regulation, and emotional balance . Adequate sleep supports executive functioning, memory consolidation, decision-making, and social engagement, whereas sleep dysregulation may impair attention, judgment, and emotional control.

Interest in the mental health and well-being of university students has increased in recent decades. The transition to university represents a period of substantial psychosocial and academic changes, during which symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression may emerge or existing mental health problems may be aggravated. During this transition, young adults face developmental, social, and psychological challenges that may be associated with adverse psychological and behavioral outcomes. The high prevalence of mental health problems among university students represents an important public health concern and is relevant to the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3), which aims to promote health and well-being for all ages.

Among these outcomes, aggression is an important behavioral concern because of its potential consequences for individuals and society. Aggression can be defined as a purposeful behavior intended to cause harm to oneself or others, either physically, verbally, or emotionally. Aggressive behaviors have been reported across populations worldwide and may have substantial consequences for social, psychological, and physical well-being. Uncontrolled aggressive behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood may be associated with a range of adverse consequences, including impaired academic performance, rejection by peers and teachers, social maladjustment, smoking and substance use, self-harm, harm to others, psychological problems, and delinquency.

poor sleep quality has also been linked to impaired academic functioning. Poor sleep and insomnia have been associated with impaired cognitive functioning and poorer academic outcomes among university students . Academic performance is an important indicator of students' educational achievement and may reflect the broader consequences of their health-related behaviors; understanding the factors associated with it is therefore particularly relevant during university education.