. Nilufar Safaie; . Sara Ketabi; . Naimossadat Kia; . Majid Mirmohammadkhani; . Mohammad Reza Moonesan; . Fatemeh Paknazar
Volume 10, Issue 4 , April 2020, , Pages 1-8
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the relationship between mental health problems (MHPs) andhealth‑promoting lifestyle (HPL) in the medical students.METHODS: This cross‑sectional ...
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OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the relationship between mental health problems (MHPs) andhealth‑promoting lifestyle (HPL) in the medical students.METHODS: This cross‑sectional study was carried out on medical students in 2017 at SemnanUniversity of Medical Sciences applying a stratified random sampling. The Symptom Checklist‑25and the HPL profile scales were used. Logistic regression models were used to analysis.RESULTS: Of the participants, 84 were male and 148 were female. The mean age was22.69 years (±2.42). Most students (95.3%) were single and 40.1% were in the preclinical stage.The mean MHP score was 44.14 (±13.99), and 3% were in the severe category. The mean HPLscore was 104.88 (±16.84); 95.7% and 4.3% of them had average and satisfactory lifestyles,respectively. The MHP score of the female (P < 0.001), younger (P < 0.001), single (P = 0.045),preclinical (P < 0.001), and who were away from home (P = 0.009) were significantly higher.The HPL score of female (P < 0.001), older (P = 0.041), and married students (P = 0.028) weresignificantly higher. The female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 4.45, P < 0.001) and studying in the clinicallevel (OR = 0.30, P < 0.001) were the most important associated factors with MHP. Adjusting forthem, there was a significant relationship between an increase in the HPL score and a decrease inthe likelihood of MHP (OR = 0.96, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: The mental health of medical students was shown to be in association with lifestyleindependent of other important determinants, including gender and academic level. It seems thatmodifying the lifestyle to a healthier way can improve students’ mental health.