Health-promoting lifestyle and body mass index among College of Nursing students in Kuwait: a correlational study

Abstract

This cross-sectional, descriptive survey of 202 nursing students in Kuwait assessed their body mass index and health-promoting lifestyle to determine any association between them. The body mass index was calculated by dividing the weight by the height squared (kg/m(2)). The health-promoting lifestyle was measured using Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II instrument. The participants had a normal body mass index with a tendency towards being overweight and obese, particularly for the males. The students also had a low positive health-promoting lifestyle. A significant association was noted between the sociodemographic variables, particularly age, marital status, and nationality, with the body mass index and Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile. A significant relationship was established between the body mass index and the overall Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile and the nutrition subcategory. The findings warranted interventions for improved health behaviors and implied the need for the integration of healthy lifestyle programs into the nursing curricula to meet the escalating demands of the students' role in health promotion and disease prevention.