Determination of COVID-19 Fear and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Faculty of Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional

Objective: Determining COVID-19 fear, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and affecting factors of faculty of health sciences students during the pandemic process, and investigating the relationship between COVID-19 fear and healthy lifestyle behaviors were aimed in the present study.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with the participation of 687 university students studying at the faculty of health sciences between December 2020 and February 2021. The data were obtained by online survey method using a structured information form, the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-II (HLBS-II), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale.
Results: While the participants’ mean score of the Fear of COVID-19 scale was 17.98±5.49; the HLBS-II mean total score was determined as 130.43±20.58. The COVID-19 fear was higher in women, those who were following the daily data regarding the pandemic, those who did not smoke, and those who were considering to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Mean scores of HLBS-II were higher in those who followed the daily data of the COVID-19 pandemic, those who were using supplements, and those who adapted to the correct mask use.
Conclusion: It was observed that the average HLBS-II scores of university students were moderate and the level of COVID-19 fear was affected by gender, employment status, and smoking. Healthy lifestyle behaviors of the students should be enhanced to deal with the COVID-19 fear.