The relationship between healthy lifestyle and demographic characteristics of students at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2018

Health promoting activities and a healthy lifestyle are major strategies to preserve health. Regarding the importance of health in young people, health promotion in society, this study was designed to investigate the relationship between healthy lifestyle and demographic characteristics of students at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive and analytical study was done on 400 students (151 male and 249 female). Stratified random sampling was used for selecting students. The data were gathered through a questionnaire consisting of two sections including demographic characteristics and standard questionnaire health promoting lifestyle that composed of two main categories and six subscales. The health promotion behaviors category included responsibility for health, physical activity, dietary habits subscales and the psychological health category including stress management, interpersonal relationships and spiritual growth subscales. Obtained data analyzed by SPSS.23 software in two categories of descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square test and independent t test) and results at the level of p<0/05 was considered significant.

Mean score for age of participants was 21.64 ± 3.17 years. 6 % of the students had a weak healthy life style, 81.2% moderate and 12.8% good. There was a significant relationship between sex and responsibility for health, physical activity and interpersonal relationships. There was a significant relationship between sex and mother’s educational level and healthy life style (p<0/05).  

The results revealed that the healthy life style of more than students were moderate. There was an inappropriate health behavior, especially among the aspects of health promoting physical activity and stress management. Therefore, health promotion interventions with a focus on components of healthy lifestyle of students seem to be necessary.