Evaluation of the Attitudes of the Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences Towards Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Objective: The foundations of a healthy life are laid during youth. Healthy nutrition and regular physical activity beeing two key determinants of health, also the main factors decreasing age-related health risks. Universities are the ideal environments for increasing this awareness. This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the attitudes of the students of the Faculty of Health Sciences towards healthy nutrition and physical activity. Method: The total number of students in the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation and Department of Nutrition and Dietetics was 467. The study aimed to reach the whole universe. Only 339 students (73%) took part. The data were collected via face-to-face surveys that covered the socio-demographic data, demographic data questions of the modified survey by the University of North Florida on Diet and Exercise and the Body Image Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 program. Significance level was p<0.05. Results: While the Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.91 in the original Body Image Scale, it was 0.959 in our study. In addition, while prediction point was 135 in the original scale, it was 134.5 according to our ROC analysis. 49.6% of students stated that they did not exercise; 27.1% of those associated it with “lack of time” while 17.1% cited “lack of willpower”. 54% of students considered their diets unhealthy. There was a statistically significant difference between lack of exercise and gender (p<0.05). Among students whose body image perception was below average, the number of those not exercising (n=52) was higher than those exercising (n=36), and this was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to results of this study, university students should be provided with awareness programs on healthy nutrition and exercise to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors.