US college students' reports of receiving health information on college campuses

Institutions of higher education are in a unique position to promote health y behaviors by providing health education to students, but little informati on exists about the proportion of students reached by such efforts. The aut hors used data from a nationally representative sample of college students to describe the extent to which students reported receiving health informat ion from their colleges and universities, to examine the characteristics of students who received such information, and to determine specific sources of health information. Approximately three quarters of college students rep orted they received information on at least one health topic, and 6% receiv ed information on all of the topics examined. Those who reported receiving health information from their colleges or universities were likely to be "t raditional" college students. To achieve relevant national health objective s, health educators must increase the proportion of students they reach and the number of health topics they cover.