Determination of Healthy Lifestyle Behavior of University Students

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the healthy lifestyle behaviors of university students and the demographic and the individual characteristics which affect these behaviors. It was conducted as a cross-sectional analytical study with a total of 2062 students who were enrolled in four-year colleges and undergraduate program of a state university located in north western Turkey. Student data form and Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, One way Anova and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. It has been determined that the students' healthy lifestyle behaviors in the university are at a moderate level and the health behaviors of the students studying in the departments related to health are better than those who study in other areas. Health status perceived from socio-demographic characteristics, the place to have lived the longest, following the media for health related issues were found to be related to healthy lifestyle behaviors. Studying in health related departments affect students' health behaviors positively. However, since healthy lifestyle behaviors of the students are at a medium level, it is important to spread the health promotion education programs throughout the university.