Peer Influence on Lifestyle Behaviors among Undergraduate Students of Professional Colleges

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Adolescence is a stage of companionship during which young people choose to spend time with their peers rather than their families. It is a period of learning new ideas and the development of overall personality. Peer influence affects positively and negatively on everyone's life. The study examines the impact of peers on lifestyle behaviors such as nutrition, physical activity, fashion, and habit among undergraduate students from various professional colleges. Objectives of the Study To assess the peer influence on lifestyle behaviors among undergraduates and find its association with selected baseline variables. Materials and Methods The study design was descriptive survey design. The tool consisted of a baseline proforma and a structured rating scale to assess the peer influence on lifestyle behaviors among undergraduates. Using a proportionate stratified simple random sampling technique based on inclusion criteria, 325 undergraduate students were chosen. SPSS version 16 software was used for descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Results Our study revealed that the majority 211 (65.3%) of undergraduates had a moderate influence on peer pressure, 95 (29.4%) had low influence, 16 (5.0%) had a strong influence, and 1 (0.3%) had no influence. The highest mean percentage of peer influence was in personality and communication (79.3%), and the least was in smoking and alcoholism (36.6%). The mean percentage of other areas was of healthy mind (74.8%), exercising (71.1%), food choices (68.2%), buying choices (64.9%), social media, and use of gadgets (45.7%). The mean percentage of the total score was 64.58. However, there was a significant association between the peer influence and baseline variables such as gender and approachable person in need, but no such relationship existed for other variables. Conclusion The study reveals remarkable evidence of peer influence among undergraduate students. However, the data reflect on positive peer influence rather than negative influence, which shows that the undergraduates rely on each other to improve their overall personality.