Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Healthy Lifestyle among Undergraduate Students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Abstract

Unhealthy lifestyle such as inappropriate diet, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, caffeine overuse and improper sleeping habits seen among university students has been associated with the global burden of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed at describing the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthy lifestyle among undergraduates in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional study involved 407 undergraduate students selected from ten undergraduate halls using a simple random sampling technique. A pre-tested, self- administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demography, knowledge, attitude and practice of healthy lifestyle based on literature. The dietary practice was assessed with a Food Frequency Questionnaire Physical activity was assessed with the short-form of International physical activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) tool. Anthropometric measurements were taken using standard procedures. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic at p=0.05. Age of the respondents was 21.8±3.24years and 58% were females. Almost all the respondents (97.8%) had a good knowledge of healthy lifestyle, 38.3% had negative attitude towards healthy lifestyle. About 40% skipped lunch while 7.1% consumed fruits and vegetables daily, as regards the activity level of the respondents, 69%, 12.5%, 10.3% had a moderate, high, and low physical activity levels respectively while 62.4% of the respondents sleep between four and seven hours/day. Majority (71.5%) of the respondents had normal weight while 15.2% were underweight. Even though, majority of the respondents had good knowledge of healthy lifestyle principles, the actual practice was still very low thus highlighting the need for enabling environment to promote adequate practice of healthy lifestyle.