Knowledge Level of Healthy Lifestyle, its Adherence and Relation to Anthropometry among Nursing Students in All Nations University Koforidua

• Published in: International journal of caring sciences 2024-09, Vol.17 (3), p.1636-1647
• Main Authors: Chikwere, Prince, Asirifi, Isaac Gunu, Arkoh, Comfort, Nyarko, Esther Antwiwaa, Gyamfuaa, Rebecca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body mass index; Eating behavior; Exercise; Meals
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

Background: Unhealthy eating habits are frequent among university students, and they are linked to an elevated risk of lifestyle and chronic illnesses. There have been few, if any, research on nursing students' lifestyle in Ghana. Aim: The purpose of this study was to characterise lifestyle choices of undergraduate nursing students in All Nations University, Koforidua. A cross-sectional study design was used with 90 nursing students from All Nations University, Koforidua. Methodology: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect lifestyle and sociodemographic data and a food frequency questionnaire was used to collect data on eating patterns. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.4±9.3 years, the mean weight was 59.5±12.2 kg, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.7±6.3 kg/m2. No statistical significance was found between the mean age (p = 0.528), the weight (p = 0.197), and В MI (p = 0.189) of the male students and the female students. The BMI of the female students was higher than that of their male counterparts. Over half (52 %) of the students took three meals a day and another 41.1 % took two meals a day. Only 1.1 % was taking one meal per day. However, when asked whether they did regular exercise apart from normal walking, 60 % answered 'Sometimes' and only 6.7 % answered 'Always' and another 6.7 % answered 'Never' to the question. The students were not interested in exercises outside their normal walking. Nonetheless, 66.7 % of the students walked more than 30 minutes daily. Principal component analysis (PCA) produced five dietary patterns which were identified. Conclusion: Nursing students have a fair knowledge of nutritional requirements for diet and health; however, this does not necessarily translate to healthy food choices and lifestyle behaviours.