Attitudes Toward Health Among College Students in Different Professional Groups

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Purpose. Today, college students do not demonstrate a high level of commitment to a healthy lifestyle, which leads to negative consequences such as poor dietary habits, low stress resilience, and physical inactivity. During their time at a university, students go through a sensitive stage of personality development, characterized by the formation of stable behavioral patterns, value systems, and attitudes toward their own health. The latter plays a key role in further improving their quality of life. Purpose of the study: To assess college students’ attitudes toward health and to identify differences in their emerging views based on their career aspirations. Materials & Methods. The respondents for this cross-sectional study were 200 students (107 women and 93 men) aged 18–25 who were enrolled in full-time programs at Alikhan Bokeikhan University in various fields of study, grouped into the following categories: Natural Sciences, Business & Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, Engineering & Technology, and Physical Education and Sport. Each group consisted of 40 participants, evenly distributed across academic years and gender. The following validated questionnaires were used for the analysis: HPLP-II, PHCS, MHLC, IPAQ-SF, and HVS. Statistical analysis included the t-test, regression and correlation analysis, and ANOVA. Results. The studies identified significant differences in the total HPLP-II score (F (4.195)=18.42; p<0.001; η²=0.27) among the groups studied. The highest score was recorded among students in Physical Education and Sport (M=176.5), while the lowest scores were among students in Engineering & Technology (M=150.1) and Humanities & Social Sciences (M=148.2). Students in Natural Sciences (M=158.6) and Business & Economics (M=155.3) ranked in the middle. It was also found that female students exhibited higher levels of stress management and interpersonal relationship skills than male students, who, in turn, showed superior physical activity levels. The regression model explained 54.2% of the variance (F (8.191)=28.3; p<0.001). Significant predictors were internal locus of control (β=0.17) and gender (β=0.12), health values (β=0.28), perceived competence (β=0.34), and membership in the Physical Education and Sport group (β=0.22). Conclusions. The study revealed certain differences in attitudes toward health depending on students’ academic majors. In particular, the highest scores were observed among students majoring in Physical Education and Sport. The psychological predictors of health-preserving behavior include the value placed on health, internal locus of control, and perceived competence. At the same time, as the duration of study increases, no differences were found between academic years, which may indicate the supportive role of the educational environment at the university. These findings can serve as a basis for improving educational programs at universities.