Psychological distress, health-promoting lifestyle and sociodemographic factors in Honduran university students: a structural equation model.
Health Promot Int
; 39(4)2024 Aug 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39023210
ABSTRACT
This study sought to analyze an explanatory model on the relationship among sociodemographic factors, health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) in college students. This is an observational, analytical and cross-sectional study conducted on a national sample of 4203 students who entered a macro university in Honduras in 2021, 2022 and 2023. We used a sociodemographic survey, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Univariate analysis and a multivariate structural equation model were conducted. The average HPLP-II score was 117.45 (±â
23.41), and the average DASS-21 score was 20.06 (±â
14.16). The multivariate model showed a good data fit (comparative fit indexâ
=â
0.951; Tucker-Lewis indexâ
=â
0.957; root mean square error of approximationâ
=â
0.067 [90% CIâ
=â
0.067-0.068]). Results indicate that being a woman (ßâ
=â
0.11; pâ
<â
0.001) and being enrolled in biological and health sciences (ßâ
=â
0.09; pâ
<â
0.001) significantly predict HPLP-II scores. Furthermore, being a woman (ßâ
=â
0.17; pâ
<â
0.001), age (ßâ
=â
0.10; pâ
<â
0.001) and having pre-existing medical conditions (ßâ
=â
0.16; pâ
<â
0.001) significantly explain part of the variance of DASS-21. A significant reverse relationship between health-promoting behavior and psychological distress was shown (râ
=â
-0.36; pâ
<â
0.001). This study identifies protective and risky sociodemographic factors linked to health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and psychological distress. Our findings have implications for developing comprehensive intervention policies and strategies to promote health in higher education settings.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Students
/
Healthy Lifestyle
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
America central
/
Honduras
Language:
En
Journal:
Health Promot Int
Journal subject:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Year:
2024
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Honduras