Sense of coherence and lifestyle in young university adults: review

Abstract

The sense of coherence (SOC) is a personal willingness that allows people to value life events as understandable, manageable and meaningful.1 Young adults must show their ability to receive and evaluate their experiences, so that they can act constructively in relation to their health.2 Salutogenesis aims at ‘providing the necessary knowledge to people and to empower them, so that they can maintain their health in good condition.3 Young university students’ health shows alarming figures that affect their health, due to the internal and external determinants to which they are exposed,4 and that directly influence the quality of their personal health and quality of life.5 This age group is exposed to multiple factors resulting from a globalized world, experiences a demographic transition, environmental changes and the growing use of new communication technologies,6,7 exposing them to the adoption of unhealthy or risky behaviours.