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Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças
Print version ISSN 1645-0086
Abstract
SOARES, Andreia Martins; PEREIRA, Marco and CANAVARRO, José Portocarrero. Health and quality of life in the transition to higher education. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2014, vol.15, n.2, pp.356-379. ISSN 1645-0086.
Health and quality of life (QoL) are crucial factors in economic, social and personal development. Health behaviours and attitudes that integrate personal lifestyle are variables that influence those concepts. Lifetime normative transitions, which include significant ecological structural changes, as the transition to higher education, constitute a risk factor in the adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyles. A sample of first-year students of the University of Coimbra (N = 564), was collected in order to study “students in transition” lifestyle, health condition and QoL, as well as the relation between these variables and the influence of some health behaviours/attitudes on health state and QoL. Although the prevalence of health behaviours/attitudes have changed with transition, most of the students have maintained a healthy lifestyle, except for alcohol consumption and physical/sports activity. Healthy lifestyles were associated with high scores in health condition and QoL. The results were consistent with the literature and provided important information for planning a health and academic success promotion intervention project in this specific context.
Keywords : health state; health behaviours/attitudes; higher education; lifestyle; quality of life; transition.