Healthy living awareness among health sciences students in Turkey: a cross-sectional study

Health sciences students need strong health awareness to promote healthy lifestyles.

This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of awareness about healthy living among students enrolled in health sciences programs in Turkey. It also examines the differences according to demographic and academic variables.

The research was conducted with 493 students from health sciences departments at various universities in Turkey between January and March 2023. Data were collected through an online survey consisting of a demographic information form and the Healthy Living Awareness Scale (HLAS), which consists of a 15-item, 5-point Likert scale with four sub-dimensions. The normality of numerical data was calculated using the Shapiro-Wilk test. We also used independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare group differences. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean total HLAS score was 56.43 ± 10.84, representing a moderate level of awareness about healthy living among participants. Significant differences were found in HLAS scores across age groups (p = 0.003) and academic departments (p = 0.014). Also, higher grade levels were associated with significantly increased scores in total HLAS and its sub-dimensions, including change, socialization, and responsibility (p < 0.05). Among the sub-dimensions, the highest scores were observed in the change domain, which was followed by socialization, responsibility, and nutrition.

Awareness levels were moderate, and increased with academic progression. Research indicates that increasing the strength of undergraduate curriculum has potential for improving future health care providers' understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle.