Toxic Habits and Well-Being Measures in Spanish Healthcare University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Irene Zapata, José Luis Maté-Muñoz, Alfonso Higueras, Juan Hernández-Lougedo, Natalia Martín-Fidalgo, Pablo García-Fernández (), María Victoria Redondo-Vega and Jaime Ruiz-Tovar
Additional contact information
Irene Zapata: Department of Medicine, Alfonso X El Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain
José Luis Maté-Muñoz: Department of Radiology, Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Alfonso Higueras: Independent Researcher, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Juan Hernández-Lougedo: Department of Physical Activity and Sports Science, Alfonso X El Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Natalia Martín-Fidalgo: Department of Medicine, Alfonso X El Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Pablo García-Fernández: Department of Radiology, Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
María Victoria Redondo-Vega: Department of Medicine, Alfonso X El Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Jaime Ruiz-Tovar: Department of Medicine, Alfonso X El Sabio University, 28691 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Unhealthy lifestyles are strongly entrenched in healthcare universities and have sometimes been linked to stress or lack of sleep. This study investigated the prevalence of toxic habits (smoking, patterns of harmful alcohol use, and illicit drug use), stress levels, perceived health status, and sleep duration and assessed the connections between toxic habits and said well-being measures, as well as healthcare students’ perception of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on these health-related behaviors. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, healthcare students from Alfonso X University (Spain) completed a health survey composed of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), self-perceived health status, and the number of hours of sleep. Results: A total of 997 healthcare students completed the survey, of which 982 were analyzed. Being a smoker (32.2%) was associated with worse health status and insufficient sleep. Risk drinkers (33.2%) were associated with being female, and the consumption of cannabinoids (6.7%), with being male. These three toxic habits were related to each other. High levels of stress (28.2%) were correlated with worse ratings in the perception of health status (29.2%) and with insufficient sleep (45.8%), and all of them were associated with the female sex. Respectively, 49.3% and 44.2% of students recognized a worsening in their perception of stress and their sleep habits during the pandemic. Conclusion: Healthcare universities must carry out health promotion programs for stress management, sleep habits, and unhealthy lifestyles.

Keywords: alcohol; smoking; cannabis; toxic habits; stress; sleep; self-perceived health; COVID-19 pandemic; university students; healthcare students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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