Abstract
Objectives: To determine health promoting behaviors of university students in Jordan and factors influencing them. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to recruit convenience sample (n = 525) of university students receiving education from two governmental and one private universities in Jordan. Data were collected between September 2013 and January 2014 by using Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Pender Model provided conceptual framework to guide the study. Results: The mean score of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile of the student was at (127.87 ± 19.91). Significant differences were found between Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile mean score and the mean score of its subscales and student’s age, gender, employment status, family income, university type, and faculty type. Conclusions: These findings suggest that interventions are needed to enhance the practice of health promoting behaviours. These interventions should focus on demographic variations among university students.
Highlights
Health promotion is an important determinant of individual health status which held the individual responsible for his own health
The present study focused on various levels of Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) among university students in Jordan with different demographic characteristics
Some studies carried in our country and other countries showed that university students have low scores on physical activity sub domain [20] [22] [25]-[28]
Summary
Health promotion is an important determinant of individual health status which held the individual responsible for his own health. According to Pender’s health promotion model, health-promoting lifestyles include six dimensions: physical activity, nutrition, stress management, health responsibility, interpersonal support and self-actualization [2]. Health related behaviors in young age are important factor that affects the individual risk for non-communicable diseases and other disorders later in life [3]-[5]. In Jordan, the incidence of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity is increasing rapidly which create a major burden for the society and health care system [10] [11]. World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that the elimination of major risk factors of non-communicable diseases will prevent at least 80% of all heart diseases, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus [6]. Health-promotion is a major strategy to promote health and prevent illness [13]
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