Assessment of Lifestyle Habits Among Adolescents in a Selected School: A Basis for Developing a Health Awareness Program on Healthy Lifestyle Practices

Abstract

Background: A Healthy lifestyle not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude and your mood, in this study the researcher assessed the lifestyle of adolescents with a view to develop a need-based Health Awareness Program on Healthy Lifestyle in a selected school of Gurugram, Haryana. The objectives were to identify lifestyle practices of adolescents.

Material and Method: A descriptive study was used for 250 adolescents from selected schools of Gurugram, Haryana. A convenient sampling technique was needed to collect data from the adolescents in 9th, 10th, 11th, class. Demographic characteristics and self-reported rating scale were used to assess adolescents' lifestyles. Validity, pretesting of tools was done followed by split half method (Crohnbach’ alpha) reliability (r= 0.98) for rating scale.

Results: The significant major findings of the study were that the maximum number of the 128 (51.2%) adolescents in the age group of (14-17) years. The maximum number of adolescents 132 (52.8%) were male and. 179 adolescents (71.6%) had healthy personal hygiene, 165 adolescents (66%) had healthy dietary habits, 141 adolescents (56.2%) had moderately healthy habits, 128 adolescents (51.2%) had moderate physical activity, 140 adolescents (56%) had healthy social interaction. 142 adolescents (56.8%) had moderate healthy recreational habits, and 112 adolescents (44.8%) had moderately healthy sleep patterns.

Conclusion: the combined score of lifestyle practices revealed that (7 Components) of 10 adolescents (4%) had poor lifestyle practices, 87 adolescents (34.8%) had moderately healthy lifestyle practices and only 153 adolescents (61.2%) had healthy lifestyle practices.