Are lifestyle factors significantly associated with self-rated health among Japanese female healthcare students?

Abstract

Background: Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective perception of an individual’s overall health, is widely used in public health assessment. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a critical period involving substantial changes in lifestyle and dietary habits. Therefore, it is important to understand SRH among young Japanese females. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between SRH among female healthcare students and their lifestyle factors, such as living status (living with others or living alone), smoking habit, alcohol consumption, frequency of breakfast consumption (FBC), physical activity, insomnia, and physique recognition.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a total of 1101 female healthcare students in Japan. Body mass index was calculated from body height and weight using data from periodic health examinations. Lifestyle habits, physical activity, and SRH were self-reported using several previously validated scales. Participants were classified as having either good SRH (excellent, very good, or good) or impaired SRH (fair or poor). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate independent relationships between SRH and lifestyle factors after adjusting for grade level.Results: We observed that 11.4% of the participants demonstrated impaired SRH. Participants with grade ≥3 showed a significantly higher percentage (13.9%) of impaired SRH compared with those with grades 1-2 (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that grade level, smoking habit, FBC, University of California Los Angeles activity score, Athens Insomnia Scale, and physique recognition were associated with SRH.Conclusions: Our results suggest that young Japanese females believe that skipping breakfast, smoking, lack of exercise, and insomnia are unhealthy, whereas a slender physique is healthy.