A study on students’ views on various aspects of their health, lifestyle and academic life has revealed that almost half of university students who are sexually active do not use a condom, and 75 per cent of those who do so never use other forms of contraception.

Even though Maltese students appear to enjoy better sexual health with less risky behaviour when compared with students in other universities, over 55 per cent of respondents reported to be sexually active with one sexual partner, but said that they do not use a condom when doing so.

10 per cent of the students interviewed said that they have two sexual partners or more, with a further four per cent saying that they have three sexual partners or more. One per cent said that they have suffered sexually transmitted diseases, and there were no instances of HIV infection.

While the study could once again raise fresh calls for the installation of a condom machine on campus, a simple exercise carried out by this newspaper some time ago showed that anyone who needs to buy condoms can do so by walking to the nearest pharmacy (just off Msida Circus), or to the convenience store at Mater Dei Hospital, which are both about 500 metres away from the university grounds.

If someone finds the 500 metre-walk to be a tad too far, a stationery and a cafeteria next door to each other just outside the old university gate both sell condoms.

Nevertheless, respondents claimed that poor self efficacy, peer influence, cultural practices and religious values are some of the factors which might explain the relatively low contraceptive use.

Carmel Cefai, a psychology lecturer at the University of Malta, and Liberato Camilleri, a lecturer in statistics at the Faculty of Science, were behind the study on the health of Maltese university students, which they entitled Healthy Students Healthy Lives.

Based on a representative sample of 500 University students, the study reveals that University students tend to be less healthy than others of the same age in the general population and endure more levels of stress because of what they claim is their heavy workload, examinations and academic pressures.

The study also sheds light into the lifestyle of Maltese students, showing that it leaves much to be desired. A mere one third of students stated that they follow an exercise regime regularly, only half follow a healthy diet, one third are not happy with their weight and 13 per cent of students binge drink on a regular basis, while others said they consume alcohol on a regular basis.

17 per cent made use of illicit substances in the last year, with cannabis being the illegal substance most frequently used by students.

Half of the student population reported frequent headaches, 12 per cent said they suffer from migraines, 30 per cent complain of frequent backache, 16 per cent suffer bouts of anxiety and 10 per cent feel depressed.

Even though the majority are happy with student life, almost half do not find their course motivating or engaging and have blamed most of their health problems and worries on the stress of university life.

When asked on advice on how to make university life more engaging, respondents proposed more parking facilities, more spacious and comfortable lecture halls, more sporting facilities and a cleaner environment on campus, while the setting up of a policy on bullying, sexual harassment and other forms of abuse would go a long way towards reducing stress levels when reading for a university degree.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Malta Medical Students’ Association (MMSA) said the organisation has for these past years conducted outreach services which include educational campaigns on sexual and reproductive health, nutrition and fitness, eating disorders, and information on human rights and peace.

The association said the same issues are tackled during non-formal education sessions which are held in schools and youth institutions, but it admitted to struggling to include non-medical students in its campaigns, despite the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

MMSA, the University Students’ Council Health Policy Committee and the European Centre of Education Resilience and Socio-Economic Health last month welcomed and hosted a talk by Dr Vivien Swanson, a lecturer at the University of Stirling, who gave an in-depth analysis on the wellbeing of university students in the UK.

According to Dr Swanson, approximately 221,000 UK students enter higher education every year, 20,000 of which will never complete their degree. Moreover, a higher proportion of students drop out in the first few weeks of university life.

Besides other factors, high stress levels can lead to cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal infections, lack of immune response, muscle tension and back pain, most of which come about as a result of increases in activity in heart veins and arteries.

Dr Swanson said on the day that the introduction of peer mentoring, where final year university students assist first year students in their transition to university life, has led to the latter enjoying an increase in confidence and esteem and a decrease in stress levels when reading for a degree, with the practice catching on in Malta and a host of European countries other than the UK.