What is health? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” According to the 2019 statistics from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism regarding individual health status, respondents in their 20s showed the following replies: 0.0% replied “Very Unhealthy”, 1.8% replied “Unhealthy”, 5.9% replied “Moderate”, 63.7% replied “Healthy” and 28.5% replied “Very Healthy”. This shows that the majority of Korea’s young adults view themselves as “healthy”.
Many factors play direct and indirect roles toward individual health. Among these, physical exercise and nutrition intake are the factors most involved with an individual’s lifestyle and usual habits. Therefore, sustaining a lifestyle that includes an adequate amount of exercise and a proper diet routine is essential for the maintenance of overall health.
However, healthy habits require much effort and care to retain. Especially for those with a busy, overloaded schedule, staying “healthy” is a complicated task. The Postech Times conducted a survey regarding the POSTECH undergraduates to investigate the health status of Postechians.
The survey was partitioned mainly into three sections: fitness, nutrition, and COVID-19.
In the fitness section, only 20.8% replied positively to the question regarding maintaining a healthy exercise habit. Only 22.6% replied that they managed to involve adequate amounts of exercise during a regular semester, and 28.3% replied that they never perform any rigorous physical activities during a regular semester.
In the nutrition section, only 22.7% replied positively to the question regarding maintaining a healthy diet. Only 30.2% replied that they managed to consume sufficient nutrition during a regular semester, and 77.3% replied that they are highly unlikely to eat three meals regularly every day. Furthermore, 85% revealed that they order delivery food at least once a week.
In the COVID-19 section, the survey revealed that those who were staying at home responded that they are living a healthier life than those who stayed on-campus. Among on-campus respondents, 60% responded that online classes only made healthy lifestyles even more unreachable mainly due to the increase in delivery food consumption and lack of gym facilities.
Overall, respondents claimed that the main factors that lead to an unhealthy life during regular school semesters are the lack of time (64.2% regarding healthy diet and 86.8% regarding exercise) and the poor quality of school cafeteria food in both taste and nutrition (43.4% regarding healthy diet). To promote a better health-nurturing environment, respondents suggested that the school increase nutritious food in cafeteria meal plans and improve workout facilities at the school gym. Respondents also emphasized the need for individual effort. Conclusively, most suggestions showed that the school and individual students, as a whole, need to carry on additional efforts. 
WHO’s guidelines regarding a healthy diet require the following on a daily basis: at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables excluding starch-based root vegetables, less than 10% of total energy intake from free sugar, less than 30% of total energy intake from fats (especially avoid trans-fat or industrially produced fats), and less than 5 grams of salt. Furthermore, the WHO’s guidelines regarding physical activity suggest that all adults aged from 18 to 64 to perform “at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity” or “75-100 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity” and “increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes”. 
Among the COVID-19 crisis and fewer opportunities to go out, the emphasis is made on the individual’s effort to maintain health. Start today with a small step forward for a healthier tomorrow.