Relationship Between Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in College Students

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and physical activity level of college students. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 261 students. Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Seale-II (HLBS-II) was used to evaluate the lifestyle behaviors, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to determine the level of physical activity. Demographic information was recorded. Statistical analysis of the study was performed with the IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 program. Results: The total score of the HLBS-lI of the students was found 131.01 +/- 19.17. In order of physical activity level of students; 135 (51.7%) were very active, 85 (32.6%) were active, and 41 (15.7%) were inactive. There was a negative statistically significant correlation between physical activity levels and body weights of the students (r=-0.194, p=0.002) and a positive correlation between the mean MET values obtained by IPAQ-SF calculations and the total score of the HLBS-II (r=0.294, p=0.001). Conclusions: The outcome of our study showed a positive correlation between the healthy lifestyle behaviors and physical activity levels of the physiotherapy students. Primary aim of the education of health science must emphasize the recognition of students' responsibility as a healthcare provider and consider themselves as examples to society for encouraging the adoptation of healthy lifestyle behaviors.