Relationship between healthy lifestyle and body composition in Dicle University Faculty of Medicine students

Introduction and aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the nutritional habits and lifestyles of Dicle University Faculty of Medicine students, to reveal the differences between those who have physical activity and those who have a sedentary lifestyle, by using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method, and to determine the frequency of obesity. Material and method: Our research was designed as a descriptive-cross-sectional study and 362 students participated in the study. Sociodemographic data form and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-2 (HLBS) were applied to the participants, and body composition measurements were made with the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer (TANITA BC 418MA©). SPSS statistics 24.0 program was used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the students participated in our study, 45.3% were female, 2% were obese, 18.5% were overweight, and 9.7% were underweight. The total mean score of HLBS was 118.5±23.0. It was determined that 16.6% (n=60) of the students used cigarettes and 11.3% (n=41) used alcohol. Those whose mothers had bachelor degree, whose fathers were bachelor, who had a good economic status, who were senior students, and those who lived in dormitories had higher HLBS total scores, and the difference was also found to be statistically significant. (p=0.001; p<0.001; p<0.001; p=0.008; p<0.001, respectively). In our study, no significant difference was found between the HLBS general score and body mass index (BMI) (p=0.682). It was determined that there was no significant difference between the fat percentages of the female and male participants and HLBS (p=0.912; p=0.335, respectively) Conclusion: The student's HLBS scores were below the average, and no significant relationship was found between HLBS and body composition. We believe that it would be beneficial to implement health education and development programs that emphasize different dimensions of healthy lifestyle behaviors, and to add courses on nutrition and healthy lifestyle behaviors to the undergraduate curriculum. Keywords: Healthy lifestyle behaviors, Bioelectrical impedance analysis, Body composition, medical school students.