Health-promoting lifestyle and its predictors among Iranian adolescent girls, 2013

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Health-promoting behaviors have considerable effects on improving life quality and decreasing healthcare expenses. This study aimed to determine the status of health-promoting behaviors and its subscales, as well as its relationship with self-efficacy and some socio-demographic characteristics in adolescent Iranian girls. Materials and methods: The participants in this study were 750 adolescent girls aged 14–18 years, living in the city of Sanandaj, Iran in 2013. Samples were selected randomly. Questionnaires used in the study were the “Adolescent Healthy Lifestyle” and “Sherer General Self-efficacy” questionnaires. Multivariate linear regresion analysis was used to determine predictors of health-promoting lifestyle. Results: Mean total score of health-promoting lifestyles in adolescent girls was 3.51 (SD 0.55) and its observed scores ranged from 1 to 5. The highest and lowest mean scores were obtained for life appreciation and physical activity subscales, respectively. Self-efficacy had significant positive correlation with the total health-promoting lifestyle scores and all its subscales. The variables of self-efficacy, current disease, mother’s education, mother’s occupation, and sufficiency of income for expenses remained in the multivariate linear regresion model and were able to explain 21% of the observed variance of the total score for health-promoting lifestyle. Conclusion: The findings show that adolescents “sometimes” or “often” show health-promoting behaviors. In addition to self-efficacy as the main predictor, some of the socio-demographic characteristics are also among the predictors of health behaviors. With consideration of adolescence years as a foundation for one’s future life, it is necessary to provide strategies to encourage a health-promoting lifestyle in adolescents.