Evaluation of Physicians' Knowledge Levels Concerning Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors.

Background: The term "healthy lifestyle behaviors" (HLBs) refers to a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early.

Aim: To assess physicians' behaviors concerning healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Materials and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the form of a face-to-face survey with physicians actively working at a training and research hospital. Using the simple random sampling method, the minimum number of physicians to be included in the study was calculated as 236. A survey form comprising three parts was used to collect data: a participant information form, the Periodic Health Examinations and Screening Tests Behavior Questionnaire, and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). The lowest obtainable score on the HPLP scale is 52, while the highest score is 208.

Results: The mean age of the physicians participating in the study was 30.14 ± 4.81 years. Of the participants, 62.7% (n = 165) were women. The mean score of the study participants was 128.03 ± 19.4. The mean scores on the dimensions of the HPLP were 20.71 ± 4.12 for nutrition, 17.99 ± 4.77 for physical activity, 19.28 ± 3.75 for stress management, 25.19 ± 4.01 for interpersonal relations, 21.08 ± 4.26 for health responsibility, and 23.77 ± 4.49 for spiritual growth.

Conclusions: Physicians who participated in the study had a low HPLP score, despite the expectation that they should be more sensitive and serve as role models in adopting healthy living since they provide related recommendations to their patients.