Health behaviors of undergraduate African American nursing students

Health experts describe lifestyle as one of the most important factors influencing health. Adolescents and young adults have been identified as a population that engages in high-risk behaviors. The purposes of this study were to determine the health behaviors of undergraduate African American nursing students and compare the results to findings from studies of other college students. A convenience sample of 214 undergraduate African American nursing students participated in the study. The Health Style: A Self-Test, a Likert-type scale consisting of six behaviors, was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Over 80% of the sample had excellent scores for cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug use, and safety behaviors. Over 60% had good scores for nutrition and stress control behaviors. Fifty-one percent of the sample had low scores for exercise and fitness behaviors indicating they are taking unnecessary risk with their health. Compared to other findings, these findings were consistent in all areas except alcohol and drug use. Early identification of at-risk behaviors among nursing students can contribute to the development and implementation of programs by faculty that foster healthy lifestyle behaviors throughout the life span.