title: Comparison of health risk behavior, awareness, and health benefit beliefs of health science and non-health science students: An international study.
abstract: This study determines the differences in health risk behavior, knowledge, and health benefit beliefs between health science and non-health science university students in 17 low and middle income countries. Anonymous questionnaire data were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 13,042 undergraduate university students (4,981 health science and 8,061 non-health science students) from 17 universities in 17 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Results indicate that overall, health science students had the same mean number of health risk behaviors as non-health science university students. Regarding addictive risk behavior, fewer health science students used tobacco, were binge drinkers, or gambled once a week or more. Health science students also had a greater awareness of health behavior risks (5.5) than non-health science students (4.6). Linear regression analysis found a strong association with poor or weak health benefit beliefs and the health risk behavior index. There was no association between risk awareness and health risk behavior among health science students and an inverse association among non-health science students.
authors.affiliation: ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Nakhonpathom, Thailand.|University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, Sovenga, South Africa.|HIV/AIDS/STIs/and TB (HAST), Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peltzer
authors.affiliation: ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Nakhonpathom, Thailand.|University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, Sovenga, South Africa.
authors.forename: Supa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pengpid
authors.affiliation: Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Tony K C
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.affiliation: National Public Health Institute.|Nutritional Surveillance and Epidemiology in Tunisia research laboratory (SURVEN), Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hajer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aounallah-Skhiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rehana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rehman
mesh_terms: D001690:Biological Science Disciplines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: health benefits; health risk behavior; health sciences; multi-country; non-health science university students; risk awareness