The effect of cardiovascular risk factors knowledge level on healthy life style behaviors and related factors in nursing students

Abstract

Nurses play a crucial role in health promotion and health protection and therefore it is important for them to have sufficient knowledge about cardiovascular disease risk factors and to adopt healthy life style behaviors starting from university years in order to protect themselves from cardiovascular diseases. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effect of level of knowledge on cardiovascular disease risk factors on healthy life style behaviors and to determine related factors in nursing students. This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 393 students. Data was collected using the identification form, the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Knowledge Level Scale, and the Healthy Life Style Behaviors Scale – II. In statistical analysis, percentiles, t-test, analysis of variance, the Kruskall Wallis test, and the Pearson correlation analysis were used. It was determined that students’ cardiovascular disease risk factors knowledge level was above average, that their healthy life style behaviors were at medium levels, and that healthy life style behaviors increased with cardiovascular disease risk factors knowledge level. It was found that students healthy life style behaviors improved as their cardiovascular disease risk factors level increased and that students whose cardiovascular disease risk factors level was higher than medium levels showed satisfactory improvements in healthy life style behaviors.