Risky behaviors of university students applying to family medicine outpatient clinic of Çukurova University and their relationship with life satisfaction

ABSTRACT Risky Behaviors of University Students Applying to Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Çukurova University and Their Relationship with Life Satisfaction Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk behaviors of university students who applied to Çukurova University Family Medicine outpatient clinic and to present the relationship between risk behaviors and life satisfaction. Material and Method: Among the students who applied to Çukurova University outpatient clinic between 1 and 31 December 2018, the smallest sampling size presenting the universe with 95% confidence and 5% error margin was reached through random sampling method. Data collected with Risk Attitude Scale-University Form, Satisfaction with Life Scale and sociodemographic data collection questionnaire, and were analyzed with statistical package program. Results: Of the 338 students with a mean age of 20.53±1.92 (16-28) years, 63.3% were female and 41.4% were staying in state dormitories. The smoking score of the group aged 22 and above was found higher than the group aged 20-21 (p=0.048). While antisocial behavior (p=0.000), alcohol use (p=0.000), smoking (p=0.000), school dropout (p=0.001) and substance use (p=0.000) scores were higher in males compared to females, no statistically significant difference was detected among the genders in suicidality and nutrition habits. The mean scores of antisocial behaviors (p=0.004), alcohol use (p=0.000) and smoking (p=0.000) were higher in the group of "staying at home with friends" compared to the group "staying in state dormitory". While the mean scores of alcohol use (p=0.000) and smoking (p=0.000) were higher in science students, school dropout was higher in students of social sciences (p=0.023). A statistically significant negative relation was found between all sub dimensions of risky behaviors and satisfaction with life. Conclusion: It is recommended that family physicians should take into account the results of this study while serving university students, and evaluate opportunities by using discipline-specific principles to reduce / prevent risk behaviors and thus increase life satisfaction. Key words: Family medicine, risky behaviors, life satisfaction, university students