THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: AN ANALYSIS ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN SPORTS AND WHO ARE NOT

Introduction and Purpose: Developing healthy lifestyle behaviors during university years is important in terms of supporting students’ health and well-being. Assessing the students’ quality of life levels in this period may provide a source of reference for their subsequent years. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and quality of life of students studying at the university and to determine the effect of a number of variables, including but not limited to engaging in sports, on healthy lifestyle behaviors and quality of life. Method: The data analyzed in the study were collected through the “Personal Information Form”, “Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale-II and “Whoqol-Bref (TR) Quality of Life Scale”. The data pertaining to 851 students who filled the scale questionnaires completely were evaluated. The Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale, developed by Walker et al. (1987), and revised in 1996 was adapted to Turkish language in 2008, by Bahar et al., who also carried out the validity and reliability analysis of the scale. The scale consists of 52 items and 6 sub-factors. The rating of the scale is of 4-point likert type. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF-TR) is a form developed by the World Health Organization. Validity and reliability tests of the scale were performed in 1999 by Eser et al. The scale allows analyzing the quality of life with reference to 4 distinct domains. The scores for individual domains can be in the 4-20 range. Firstly, the normality test was applied, and descriptive statistics were assessed for the data obtained from the scale. The data was found to exhibit normal distribution. In addition, according to the results of the Levene test, the variances were found to be homogeneous. Independent sample T-test, One Way Variance Analysis (Anova), Manova analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used for the analysis of the data. Scheffe test, which is the 2nd Level Post Hoc Test, was employed to determine the groups among which significant variation occurred. Data were tested at α = 0.05 significance level. Findings and Conclusion: The study's findings showed that the students’ healthy lifestyles and quality of life levels were moderately correlated. Healthy lifestyle behaviors and quality-of-life levels of licensed sports students were significantly more emphasized than those of the students who did not engage in sports. The mean scores the students studying in Physical Education and Sports High School had for the physical activity and diet sub-factors were found to be significantly higher compared to those studying in other departments. Moreover, it was seen that having breakfast regularly affects the students’ quality of life. As a conclusion, it can be said that the healthy lifestyle behaviors of university students are moderately correlated to their quality of life and regular sports have an impact on the variables analyzed in the present study.