Young Women’s Value Preferences, Health Behaviour, Well-Being and Life Satisfaction

Abstract Introduction: According to national and international research, health is a core value, but there is often a discrepancy between its importance and its practical implementation. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationships between the values of young adult higher education students and their health behaviour, quality of life and subjective well-being. Materials and Methods: A total of 563 respondents (122 men, 21.7%; 437 women, 77.6%) were interviewed in our cross-sectional study, with a mean age of 27.6 years (SD=9.9). Several validated measurement instruments were used in our study: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS-H), the IRVS Values Importance and Realisation List, the Health Related Attitudes Questionnaire (HACQ), the EQ-5D-5 L Quality of Life Questionnaire, the WHO Well-Being Index (WBI-5), and the Big Five Personality Dimensions Measure. The data were processed via IBM SPSS 26.0 and Excel. Spearman correlation, Wilcoxon tests, Mann-Whitney U tests and Kolmogorov‒Smirnov tests were used for statistical analyses (pResults: Health, safety and family were found to be the most important values for the participants, whereas good heartedness, honesty and integrity were more likely to lead in implementation. A significant difference was found between the importance of these values and their actual realisation (pConclusions: Our results suggest that health is a priority for young adult students but that there are gaps in its practical implementation. A stable and consistently enforced value system is a strong protective factor for positive health behaviour, increased well-being and life satisfaction. This research highlights the need for value-based health promotion among students in higher education.