Dimensions of health‐related lifestyle in young adulthood: results from a national population survey
Aim: This study assessed the underlying structure of health‐related behaviours among young adults in Iceland. A number of individual behaviours were considered, including both positive and negative health‐related behaviours. A central question was whether distinct underlying health‐related lifestyle...
| Published in: | Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2007
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00479.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1471-6712.2007.00479.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00479.x |
| Summary: | Aim: This study assessed the underlying structure of health‐related behaviours among young adults in Iceland. A number of individual behaviours were considered, including both positive and negative health‐related behaviours. A central question was whether distinct underlying health‐related lifestyles can be identified in this age group. Method: The study was based on the data from a national health survey entitled ‘Health and Living Conditions in Iceland’. The original survey comprised a random sample of 18–75 year olds drawn from the National Register (response rate 69%). The current study used a subsample from the survey, consisting of young adults, age: 18–24 (N = 348). A total of 37 variables pertaining to health‐related behaviour were analysed. The 37 variables were factor‐analysed using principal component (PC) factor analysis. Results: The PC analysis yielded four underlying health lifestyle dimensions: (i) physical activity; (ii) unhealthy diet; (iii) substance use; and (iv) healthy diet. The four factors explained 35.3% of the total item variance. The mean Cronbach's alpha for the four factors was 0.69. Correlations between factors were generally weak. Conclusion: Distinct health‐related lifestyle dimensions underlie the numerous health‐related behaviours that young adults engage in. The analysis of positive and negative lifestyle dimensions helps identify vulnerable young adults disproportionally involved in unfavourable patterns of health‐related behaviour. Weak factor correlations and high unexplained item variance suggests that individual health‐related behaviours need consideration, albeit within a larger framework acknowledging interconnected and sometimes inconsistent behaviours. |
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