The health behaviours of European study abroad students sampled from forty-two countries: Data from a three-wave longitudinal study

Research on travelling populations indicates that geographic mobility is associated with changes in health behaviours. However, there is currently little longitudinal data recording study abroad students' health behaviours other than alcohol use [1,2], and that includes a variety of risk and protective factors related to students' demographics and their experiences abroad. The present dataset contains the original longitudinal data from a study of European study abroad students' and includes information on participants health-related behaviour: including physical exercise, diet, alcohol and drug use, and unprotected casual sex. Self-reported data were collected across three waves: on arrival in the host country, to assess pre-departure behaviour (T1), four months through the period abroad (T2), and four months after returning home (T3). Data on factors related to participants' demographics and their abroad experience, including motivations to study abroad, acculturation orientation and adjustment to the host environment, and perceptions regarding different referent peers’ drinking behaviour were also collected. Data were collected in the 2015–2016 academic year. At T1 students in 200 cities from more than 40 European countries were approached by representatives from an international student association. Participants who completed at least two surveys were included (N = 908). The T1 survey was completed by 899 students (nine students provided an e-mail address but did not complete the survey at T1), 785 (86.5%) completed T2 survey, and 438 (48.2%) the T3 survey. The data article presents tables charting variables measured by survey wave and participants' socio-demographic and study abroad experience characteristics. With an acceptable drop-out across the three waves, these data may be of interest to researchers who wish to understand factors related to changes in health behaviours in this population and develop targeted health promotion interventions. Other stakeholders such as policy makers, international offices, health professionals in counselling service, student associations may also use these data to develop communication campaigns and intervene with reference to relevant risk and protective factors.