Abstract
Sub-optimal health status (SHS) and unhealthy lifestyle among college students have become a major focus for research on public health worldwide. Hence, this study was designed to assess the effects of socio-cultural factors on medical college students' self-rated health status (SRH) and health-promoting lifestyles (HPL) in Eritrea. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Orotta School of Medicine (OSM), using a self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected from all medical students who had fulfilled the inclusion criteria using Sub-Optimal Health Measurement Scale (SHMS V1.0) and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II) scale questionnaires. Independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Binary multivariate logistic regression were performed. Data analysis was undertaken using SPSS version 22. The overall SRH was significantly higher among college students with BMI of 25 to 29.9 (M=88.23, SD=6.28) as compared to <18.5 (<i>p</i>=0.027) and 18.5 to 24.9 (<i>p</i>=0.027). Moreover, physiological subscale of SRH was significantly related to gender (M <sub>males</sub>=88.96 Vs M <sub>females</sub>=85.41, <i>p</i>=0.001) and monthly stipend (M <sub>income</sub>=89.52 Vs M <sub>no-income</sub>=87.28, <i>p</i>=0.040). On the other hand, physical activity of HPL was found to vary by gender (M <sub>males</sub>=2.12 Vs M <sub>females</sub>=1.87, <i>p</i>=0.005) and alcohol consumption (M <sub>drinkers</sub>=2.22 Vs M <sub>non-drinkers</sub>=1.99, <i>p</i>=0.016). Nutrition differences of HPL were observed in BMI of 25 to 29.9 (M=2.40, <i>p</i>=0.028), internship students (M=2.15, <i>p</i>=0.027), and monthly income (M=2.11, <i>p</i>=0.029). The overall SRH was significantly correlated with the overall HPL (r=0.493, <i>p</i><0.001). In addition, students who had high (≥good) HPL were more likely to rate themselves as healthier: AOR=4.97, 95% CI: 1.28-19.32 and AOR=3.73, 95% CI: 1.09-12.80. In all, the study adds to the evidence on the impact of socio-cultural influences’ on SRH (gender, BMI, stipend) and HPL (gender, alcohol, BMI, study year, stipend) of medical students.
Highlights
Lifestyle is one of the most essential factors affecting an individual’s health status and has a great role in prevention of chronic diseases [1,2,3,4,5]
The current study showed that the medical students were better in their SRH, this may be attributable to health awareness and knowledge in addition to their fledgling age
The SRH and health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) were assessed by questionnaires, these measures are not equivalent to clinical diagnosis, and future studies with diagnostic interviews should be used. These findings provide evidence supporting the influence of socio-cultural factors on SRH and HPL
Summary
Lifestyle is one of the most essential factors affecting an individual’s health status and has a great role in prevention of chronic diseases [1,2,3,4,5]. Health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) comprises a multidimensional pattern of self-initiated perceptions (beliefs) and activities (actions) aimed at prevention of disease and/or maintenance and improvement of wellness [3, 6, 9]. Students are in a dynamic and transition period of growth and development. This period shows rapid changes in the student’s body, mind and social interaction patterns. At this stage, students are usually exposed to a new, challenging and competitive environment. Most of them are facing and experiencing independence, behavioral changes, new friendships, financial pressures, stress, insufficient nutritional intake, lack of physical activity, poor time management and starting responsibility in their lives [4, 7, 12, 13]
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