University of Iowa Health Assessment reveals rising student risk habits in 2023

IOWA CITY, Iowa — A new University of Iowa health assessment shows risky habits among undergraduate and graduate students have gone up in 2023 compared to 2021, including a sharp rise in consuming energy drinks. Nicotine use is also on the rise, 30% of students have used at least one nicotine product in the last 3 months compared to the 25% who used them in 2021, with the largest jump being e-cigarettes or other vape products which had a 5% jump in usage. Alcohol use didn't see much of a change, although high-risk drinking saw a jump. Cannabis use had a slight increase among students while illegal use of prescription drugs, like opioids, actually went down a bit.