Lifestyle factors influencing medical and nursing student's health status at the rural health-care institute

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) may be influenced by lifestyle behavior, acquired during transition in student life at university. Health is a major concern globally. The developing counties are facing a double burden of disease, both communicable and NCD. This study is aimed to assess the lifestyle and its associated factors that can affect the health status of medical and nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical and nursing students of Sasaram, Bihar, by universal sampling. The study population consisted of 303 medical and 233 nursing students. The 536 students in the study, included 195 from rural areas and 341 from urban areas. Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire was used and Chi-square statistics was computed to determine the association of demographic variables with lifestyle behavior using Epi InfoTM 7 analysis software. RESULTS: Mean age and body mass index were 21 ± 2.59 years and 22.12 ± 3.77, respectively. After statistical analysis utilizing the Chi-square test, it was shown that the difference was found to be nonsignificant (P > 0.05) in all the following variables, such as gender, age, marital status except in designation, and alcohol and tobacco intake which showed the difference to be highly significant. CONCLUSIONS: The maximum number of students in the study population showed intermediate healthy lifestyle (57.1%), despite being the upcoming health-care providers of future. Fruits were rarely present in diet in 82%, no physical activity in 21.2%, and tobacco and alcohol were consumed by 11.7% and 13%, respectively. Targeted intervention for healthy diet, physical activity, stress, tobacco, and alcohol reduction can lead to healthy lifestyle. Independence and autonomy gained in the transition phase in student life needs guided supervision to raise responsible adults. It may help to assist or to plan accordingly in future to improve lifestyle of the students.

Hábitos de Vida en Estudiantes de Enfermería de una Universidad Pública del sur de México

“…Estos datos concuerdan con lo reportado por otros estudios, donde se pone en evidencia conductas alimentarias poco saludables y una ingesta inadecuada de nutrientes [12][13][14][15][16] . La comida chatarra se está un volviendo un común denominador en la dieta de los estudiantes por su facilidad de disponibilidad, menor tiempo de preparación, saciar las preferencias gustativas y sensación de gratificación tras su consumo (Shekhar et al, 2022). Dichas conductas favorecen el riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades cardiovasculares y diabetes (Marti et al, 2021;Serrano et al, 2017) En relación a la frecuencia del consumo de frutas el 21.1% de los estudiantes las consumen algunas veces, solamente el 4.3% no consumía frutas.…”

“…23.8% consumían verduras algunas veces. En contraste, se hallan similitudes con otras investigaciones en las cuales en estudiantes universitarios de enfermería se demostró un porcentaje similar de consumo en este grupo de alimentos (Shekhar et al, 2022;De Los Ángeles Rodríguez-Gázquez et al, 2016;Jaimes & Díaz, 2014;Sánchez-Ojeda et al, 2022;Morales et al, 2018). Cruz y colaboradores refieren que uno de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular es el deficiente habito alimentario de frutas y verduras (Cruz et al, 2016).…”

“…Shekhar y colaboradores evaluaron el estilo de vida en estudiantes de enfermería y medicina mediante el Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire y los factores asociados que afectan el estado de salud, encontrando que el 57.1% de los estudiantes tenían un estilo de vida saludable intermedio (Shekhar et al, 2022). Rodríguez-Gázquez y colaboradores investigaron los estilos de vida de los estudiantes de enfermería de una universidad pública colombiana mediante el instrumento Fantastic Lifestyle Checklist encontrando que el 9.2% tenían un estilo de vida bajo, el 31.3% regular y el 53.7% bueno (De Los Ángeles Rodríguez-Gázquez et al, 2016).…”

Health Promoting Lifestyle Behaviors and Associated Factors among Sohag University Students

“…Reduced physical activity and unhealthy eating habits lead to an increase in obesity among young people in many nations, and this is often a risk factor for health if these habits continue into adulthood. (4) Healthy lifestyles, such as appropriate diet, physical activity, and the acquisition of good habits, contribute to the preservation of the humanenvironment balance and the prevention of Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) (5) . Reducing health risks and enhancing health will result in increased longevity, higher quality of life, and lower healthcare expenses.…”

Implementing a Settings-based Approach for Health Promotion – A Government Initiative in India

“…A recent study[ 1 ] examined the lifestyle factors influencing the health status of medical and nursing students at a rural healthcare institute in India. The findings revealed a significant difference in lifestyle behaviors between students on campus and those at home.…”