Assessment of Health-promoting Lifestyle among Medical Students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2019

Abstract

Background and Objective : Young adults, especially the students of medical fields, as the health ambassadors of every community, play a vital role in health maintenance and improvement of society. Promoting the lifestyle behaviors of this group leads to the better health status of other society members. This study was set to assess the Health-Promoting Lifestyle (HPL) of medical students in Mashhad, Iran. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 120 medical students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2019. The data were collected by the self-reported Persian version of HPL profile II which has been validated in former studies. SPSS package (version 20) was used to analyze data, and two independent samples t-test to compare data sampling was done in two stages, including random selection of the classroom and the clinical ward, and then random selection of students in each. Results: 50.2% of all participants were male in gender and 77.5% were single. The overall score of HPL profile II among all the participants was moderate. According to the scores of Health-promoting Lifestyle Behaviors (HPLB), stress management scored the highest (29.62±4.45), spiritual growth, and physical activity was at the lowest levels (10.84±2.07 and 16.55±4.97, respectively). Two dimensions of HPLB showed a significant difference based on the gender of the participants (better physical activity in men (p-value= 0.04) and self-responsibility for health in women (p-value=0.05)). There was not a statistical difference between HPL subscales by the participants` marital status. Conclusion: The HPL profile II total score is moderate, but not desirable; therefore, admitting appropriate programs for lifestyle improvement, especially in the field of mental development, physical activities, and nutrition, regarding student gender, is recommended. Our findings can attribute the health policymakers to developing health programs among the students and adding related courses to the educational curriculum.