Healthy lifestyle behaviors among Omani undergraduates: a cross-sectional study

Background Maintenance of good health and a healthy lifestyle have significant impacts on the lives of university students. However, university students are prone to engage in risky health behaviors, resulting in impaired health status. Electronic health (eHealth) literacy is an important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, no studies have assessed the eHealth literacy levels and the associated lifestyle behaviors among university students in Japan. Objective The purposes of this study were to clarify the eHealth literacy level, the participant characteristics associated with eHealth literacy, and the association of eHealth literacy with lifestyle behaviors of students in a Japanese university. Methods A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of 3183 students at a national university in Japan was conducted. eHealth literacy was quantified using the Japanese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). The association between participant characteristics (gender, school year, department of study, and living status) and eHEALS score was assessed using t tests. Additionally, the associations of eHealth literacy with lifestyle behaviors (exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.) were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Results The mean eHEALS score was 23.6/40 points. The mean eHEALS score for students in medical departments was 27.0/40 points, which was 2.9 points higher than that of nonmedical students (P<.001). Similarly, the graduate school participants had higher scores than the undergraduate students. The proportion of participants who exercised regularly was higher in the high eHEALS score group than in the low score group, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.39 (P<.001). Conclusions The eHealth literacy level of university students in Japan was comparable to that of the general Japanese population. Graduate students, as well as those in medical departments, had higher eHealth literacy. Furthermore, students with higher eHealth literacy had better exercise routines.

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Association of eHealth Literacy With Lifestyle Behaviors in University Students: Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18155 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Saki Tsukahara ◽

Satoshi Yamaguchi ◽

Futaba Igarashi ◽

Reiko Uruma ◽

Naomi Ikuina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Lifestyle Behaviors ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Ehealth Literacy ◽

The Mean ◽

Participant Characteristics ◽

Literacy Level

BACKGROUND Maintenance of good health and a healthy lifestyle have significant impacts on the lives of university students. However, university students are prone to engage in risky health behaviors, resulting in impaired health status. Electronic health (eHealth) literacy is an important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, no studies have assessed the eHealth literacy levels and the associated lifestyle behaviors among university students in Japan. OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to clarify the eHealth literacy level, the participant characteristics associated with eHealth literacy, and the association of eHealth literacy with lifestyle behaviors of students in a Japanese university. METHODS A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study of 3183 students at a national university in Japan was conducted. eHealth literacy was quantified using the Japanese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). The association between participant characteristics (gender, school year, department of study, and living status) and eHEALS score was assessed using t tests. Additionally, the associations of eHealth literacy with lifestyle behaviors (exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.) were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS The mean eHEALS score was 23.6/40 points. The mean eHEALS score for students in medical departments was 27.0/40 points, which was 2.9 points higher than that of nonmedical students (P<.001). Similarly, the graduate school participants had higher scores than the undergraduate students. The proportion of participants who exercised regularly was higher in the high eHEALS score group than in the low score group, with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.39 (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The eHealth literacy level of university students in Japan was comparable to that of the general Japanese population. Graduate students, as well as those in medical departments, had higher eHealth literacy. Furthermore, students with higher eHealth literacy had better exercise routines.

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HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence, 6. EU Rahmenprogramm für Forschung, Technologische Entwicklung und Demonstration) – Cross Sectional Study

Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin ◽

10.1055/s-2007-983406 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 32 (03) ◽

Author(s):

K Philipp

Keyword(s):

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Higher Healthy Lifestyle Score is associated with lower presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: a community-based cross-sectional study

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021000902 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Yun-yang Deng ◽

Qing-wei Zhong ◽

Hai-li Zhong ◽

Feng Xiong ◽

Yue-bin Ke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract Objective: Previous studies have reported inverse associations between certain healthy lifestyle factors and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but limited evidence showed the synergistic effect of those lifestyles. This study examined the relationship of a combination of lifestyles, expressed as Healthy Lifestyle Score (HLS), with NAFLD. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study. Questionnaires and body assessments were used to collect data on the six-item HLS (ranging from 0 to 6, where higher scores indicate better health). The HLS consists of non-smoking (no active or passive smoking), normal BMI (18·5–23·9 kg/m2), physical activity (moderate or vigorous physical activity ≥ 150 min/week), healthy diet pattern, good sleep (no insomnia or <6 months) and no anxiety (Self-rating Anxiety Scale < 50), one point each. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Setting: Guangzhou, China. Participants: Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-one participants aged 40–75 years. Results: The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 50·8 %. After adjusting for potential covariates, HLS was associated with lower presence of NAFLD. The OR of NAFLD for subjects with higher HLS (3, 4, 5–6 v. 0–1 points) were 0·68 (95 % CI 0·51, 0·91), 0·58 (95 % CI 0·43, 0·78) and 0·35 (95 % CI 0·25, 0·51), respectively (P-values < 0·05). Among the six items, BMI and physical activity were the strongest contributors. Sensitivity analyses showed that the association was more significant after weighting the HLS. The beneficial association remained after excluding any one of the six components or replacing BMI with waist circumference. Conclusions: Higher HLS was associated with lower presence of NAFLD, suggesting that a healthy lifestyle pattern might be beneficial to liver health.

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Patients’ Perspectives about Lifestyle Behaviors and Health in the Context of Family Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18062981 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 2981

Author(s):

Rosália Páscoa ◽

Andreia Teixeira ◽

Micaela Gregório ◽

Rosa Carvalho ◽

Carlos Martins

Keyword(s):

Family Medicine ◽

Family Doctor ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Future Research ◽

Lifestyle Behaviors ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Family

Lifestyle interventions are recognized as essential in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases. Previous studies have shown that Portuguese patients tend to give more importance to diagnostic and laboratory tests than to lifestyle measures, and seem unaware that behavioral risks are the main modifiable risk factors. The study aimed to analyze patients’ perspectives about lifestyle behaviors and health in the context of family medicine in Portugal. A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Portugal (the mainland). A total of 900 Portuguese patients aged ≥20 years, representative of the population, were surveyed using face-to-face questionnaires. Participants were selected by the random route method. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were performed to evaluate differences between the personal beliefs and the personal behavior self-assessment, as well as between the level of importance given to the family doctor to address health behaviors and the reported approach implemented by the family doctor, and its association with bio-demographic variables. The results indicate that the vast majority of this Portuguese cohort has informed beliefs regarding lifestyle behaviors, tends to overestimate their own behavior self-assessment, and strongly agrees that it is important that their family doctor asks/advises on these lifestyle behaviors, although the proportion of those who totally agree that their family doctor usually does this is significantly lower. Differences concerning bio-demographic variables were found. Future research directions should focus on the politics, economics, and policy aspects that may have an impact in this area. It will also be important to understand more broadly the relationships between lifestyle behaviors and clinical, physical, and sociodemographic variables.

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