Perceived Wellness of College Students in a Basic Studies Course

Wellness is a positive component of health in need of assessment among college populations. The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceived wellness of college students enrolled in a basic studies wellness course (PED 101). The significance of the research was to utilize knowledge of how students perceive their wellness to improve the course curriculum and student health outcomes. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS), a 36-item six-point Likert scale assessment of six dimensions of wellness (physical, social, emotional, intellectual, psychological, and spiritual), and demographic data were administered online. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the wellness score, total perceived wellness, and the six wellness dimensions. Bivariate analyses were conducted to explore relationships between the variables. The sample was comprised of 66% female aged 17-20 (80%), and 89 % White, full-time students (98%), and working a part time job (95%). The sample self-reported the highest mean scores for spiritual wellness (M = 4.50), followed by social wellness (M = 4.18), with emotional wellness rated the lowest (M = 3.83). The overall composite wellness score was relatively high (M = 4.54). Race was significantly correlated with spiritual wellness (r = .098, p < .05), and employment was significantly related to emotional wellness (r = -.803, p < .05), indicating demographic background may affect perceived wellness. Recognizing the highest perceived wellness levels were found in the spiritual and social dimensions, and that total wellness may depend on race and employment are significant findings to consider when making curricular decisions for PED 101.