Institutional Characteristics and the Connection to College Student Health

Objective: To examine whether 6 institutional characteristics were associated with health behavior and outcomes among college students. Methods: Chisquare statistics and ANOVAs were used to determine relationships between institutional characteristics and health issues among undergraduate participants (N = 81,242) for the spring 2011 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II. Results: Most institutional characteristics were significantly associated with all health issues. However, Cramer's V and eta(2) were frequently weak. Relationships between institutional characteristics and health outcomes were complex with few clear patterns. Conclusions: This exploratory study provides insight into environmental influences specific to college health. Future research should consider individual student differences and campus offerings to improve understanding of how the environment affects college student health.