Lifestyle of students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences during Corona Epidemic: A cross-sectional study

Fatemeh   Rahimi; Elahe  Alamdar; Hengame Sadat   Seyed Mirnasab; Somaieh   Borjalilu; Mahnaz   Pouresmaeil; Mohamad  Anbari

doi:10.18502/jhs.v9i3.7308

Fatemeh Rahimi Msc, Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Elahe Alamdar Bsc, Department of Research and Technology Management, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Hengame Sadat Seyed Mirnasab Bsc, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Somaieh Borjalilu PhD, Department of Virtualization, Virtual School, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahnaz Pouresmaeil Msc, Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohamad Anbari Msc, Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jhs.v9i3.7308

Keywords: COVID-19, Demography, Health Promotion, Student, Life Style

Abstract

Background and purpose: There is concern that students may have an unhealthy lifestyle as a result of changes that occurred during corona conditions, so this study aimed to determine the status of the lifestyle and its relationship with the demographic characteristics of postgraduate students during the corona span.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020. The link to the online Health-Promoting Lifestyle Questionnaire Profile2 was sent to conduct the research. To examine the relationships between the mean scores of health-promoting lifestyle and different variables, an independent samples t-test was applied in the case of dichotomous demographic variables (gender, education level, and income-generating activity), while one-way analysis of variance test was used to evaluate the multilevel demographic variables (marital status, place of residence, and faculty). The Pearson correlation coefficient was also used for testing age.

Results: The sample 240, (75.4%) were female and 145 of them, (60.4%) were single. The mean age of them was 32.21±7.45.45 years old. The lifestyle total score was 138.28± 21.18 at the average level. The highest score was related to spiritual growth (26.93±5.01), whereas the lowest score was reported on physical activity (16.92±5.17). The difference between the mean of health-promoting lifestyle was not significant in terms of demographic variables.
According to the results, a statistically significant difference was observed between male and female students in the field of nutrition. Also, students were significantly different in the nutrition domain regarding students’ residence (p-value <0.05). Spiritual growth was significantly different among students in terms of marital status (p-value <0.05).

Conclusion: Although the mean score of health-promoting lifestyle was not different from other studies, further studies are proposed to plan health interventions in accordance with epidemic conditions for students.