Health-promoting behaviors in staff and students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences

The staff of health and dentistry schools can play an important role in encouraging students and their clients to adopt health and preventive behaviors. The aim of this study was to compare health‑promoting behaviors in staff and students of health and dental schools in Ardabil University of Medical Sciences (ARUMS).

This cross‑sectional descriptive‑analytical study was conducted in 2021. The research population was staff and students of health and dental schools. Staff sampling was by census and students were sampled by simple random sampling. The data collection tool was a questionnaire whose validity and reliability had been confirmed in previous studies. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics tests using SPSS version 20 software. Linear regression was performed using stepwise method.

The results showed that the mean score of the individuals was 99.2 ± 20.24. In the leveling, the behaviors of 33 people (17.55%) were appropriate, desirable and good, and the health‑promoting behaviors, 154 people (82.45%), were moderate and low. The correlation between age, gender, marital status, and workplace of the individuals with health‑promoting behaviors was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The output of stepwise regression analysis showed that the variables were significant and could predict the scores of health‑promoting behaviors.

Health‑promoting behaviors in <20% of students and staff are desirable, and in more than 80% of them are moderate and poor. Therefore, educational administrators should use these results in curriculum planning to increase health‑promoting behaviors of students and staff. The score of health‑promoting behaviors is related to the above‑mentioned areas, but the relationship may not be linear.