Table 2.
Descriptive characteristics of study participants (n = 195)
| Characteristic | N (%) or Median (IQR) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) | |
| 18–21 years old | 109 (56%) |
| 22–24 years old | 86 (44%) |
| Gender identitya | |
| Female | 119 (61%) |
| Male | 75 (39%) |
| Non-binary/genderfluid/genderqueer | 1 (1%) |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) categoriesb | N = 194 |
| Underweight (BMI < 18.5) | 16 (8%) |
| Healthy weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) | 106 (55%) |
| Overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9) | 42 (22%) |
| Obese (BMI ≥30.0) | 30 (16%) |
| Living location | |
| Metro | 156 (80%) |
| Regional/rural | 39 (20%) |
| Language other than English spoken at home/with parents | |
| Yes | 52 (27%) |
| No | 143 (73%) |
| Currently studying | |
| Yes | 137 (70%) |
| No | 58 (30%) |
| Level of current studyc | |
| High school, year 12 | 8 (6%) |
| TAFE, college or diploma | 18 (13%) |
| University (undergraduate course) | 97 (71%) |
| University (postgraduate course) | 14 (10%) |
| Highest level of completed educationd | |
| High school, year 10 or lower | 2 (3%) |
| High school, year 11 | 2 (3%) |
| High school, year 12 | 13 (22%) |
| TAFE, college or diploma | 23 (40%) |
| University (undergraduate degree) | 16 (28%) |
| University (postgraduate degree) | 2 (3%) |
| Living arrangementse | |
| Alone | 24 (10%) |
| With their child (ren) | 18 (8%) |
| With partner | 37 (16%) |
| With other family | 20 (9%) |
| With friend(s)/housemate(s) | 34 (15%) |
| Living with parents | 97 (42%) |
| I don’t wish to say | 0 (0%) |
| Dispensable weekly income | |
| Less than AU$40 | 76 (39%) |
| AU$40–$79 | 59 (30%) |
| AU$80–$119 | 30 (15%) |
| AU$120–$199 | 17 (9%) |
| AU$200–$299 | 9 (5%) |
| AU$300 or over | 3 (2%) |
| I don’t wish to say | 1 (1%) |
| Social media use frequency | |
| More than twice a day | 173 (89%) |
| Twice a day | 22 (11%) |
| Using social media to learn or talk about your health | |
| Yes | 128 (66%) |
| No | 67 (34%) |
| Interest in health | |
| On a scale of 1–7, where 1 means “Strongly disagree” and 7 means “Strongly agree”, please indicate how strongly you agree with the following statement - I take an active interest in my health | 6 (5, 6) |
a Based on the following question: “Please confirm your gender. Response options: Male; Female; Transmale/transman; Transfemale/transwoman; Non-binary/genderfluid/genderqueer; My gender is not listed (please specify)” [35]
b BMI categories based on self-reported weight and height; one participant did not answer
c Only participants currently studying answered this question
d Only participants who were no longer studying answered this question
e Participants could select more than one answer