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Health Promotion International Advance Access published online on October 29, 2009
Health Promotion International, doi:10.1093/heapro/dap047
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© The Author (2009). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Article

Socio-demographic predictors of health behaviors in Mexican college students

Sara M. Ulla Díez1,* and Adriana Pérez-Fortis2,{dagger}

1Department of Psychology, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain and 2 Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

* Corresponding author. E-mail: sara.ulla{at}aeval.es


  Abstract

Our objectives in this cross-sectional descriptive study were to analyze to what extent freshmen exhibit healthy behaviors, which socio-demographic variables predict healthy or unhealthy lifestyle, and what is the strength of the relationship. Three hundred seven Mexican University students were assessed. t-Test and adjusted multiple regression analysis were computed. Life style was measured by use of the HPLP-II questionnaire and socio-demographics data. The results showed that most students presented a non-healthy lifestyle profile. Overall, the health behavior score was predicted by sex, mother's education and socio-economic level (R2 = 0.104; p = 0.00001). When controlling for the other variables, nutrition was partially predicted by mother's education (R2 = 0.048; p = 0.001); physical activity and stress management were modulated by sex, marital status and mother's education (R2 = 0.111, p < 0.0001; R2 = 0.096; p = 0.0001, respectively); interpersonal relations were predicted by mother's education and socio-economic level (R2 = 0.104; p < 0.0001). These influences should be taken into account in designing interventions for specific socio-demographic profiles that might be at higher risk for certain behaviors.

Key words: health behaviour; college students; socio-economic factors; cross-sectional studies

{dagger} MAEC-AECID Scholarship.


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