Are first-year nursing students' lifestyles coherent with their future career?

Abstract

Nursing students are going to be professionals in the near future, and as carers, it will be essential for them to behave in a way that will allow them to have a positive influence on the health of others as well as their own health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the lifestyles of first-year nursing students of 2 universities (one in Spain and the other in Colombia). A cross-sectional descriptive study design using validated surveys was adopted. A sample of 140 nursing students enrolled in 2014 in their first year of 2 universities (Seville in Spain, n = 37, and Antioquia in Colombia, n = 93) self-reported the FANTASTICO Lifestyle checklist. Findings reveal that (1) the lifestyles are not appropriate in 1 of 3 of nursing students in both universities and (2) there are statistically significant differences for family items, positive thinkers, the use of safety belts, and alcohol consumption before driving. A high proportion of the study's participants have inappropriate lifestyles that involve risks for the deferred development of chronic diseases. It is necessary for universities to develop educational interventions in the design of nursing degrees to strengthen healthy behaviours during training.