PERSONAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH A HEALTH-PROMOTING LIFESTYLE AMONG HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the health-promoting lifestyle and associated personal factors among higher education students in the district of Lurigancho (Lima-Peru). Materials and Methods: Observational, cross-
sectional and analytical study with 320 participants. Lifestyle was measured using the Lifestyle Profile Questionnaire, previously validated at the global and national level. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate
analyses were performed with the Stata program version 17. Results: 55% of the students had an unhealthy
lifestyle. Also, most of the participants had an unhealthy lifestyle regarding the dimensions: nutrition (58.75%), physical activity (81.56%), health responsibility (84.38%), and stress management (72.81%). On the other hand, according to the multivariate analysis, students with more years of life (aPR:1.02), who had private insurance (aPR:3.49) and with higher academic performance (aPR:1.15) were more likely to have a healthy lifestyle. Conclusions: More than half of the students have an unhealthy lifestyle and the associated personal factors were age, health insurance and academic performance. Prioritizing effective strategies for
the promotion and improvement of the health of university students according to their personal needs is
recommended.