Skip to main content
Top

Iranian university students lifestyle and health status survey: study profile

  • Open Access
  • 01-12-2017
  • Research article
Published in:

Abstract

Background

The physical health assessment of university students in Iran is a national large scale assessment examining health behaviors among tertiary education students. Understanding risky health behaviors which are the major sources of global mortality and morbidity in adulthood is the key objective of this assessment.

Methods

In academic year of 2012–2013, newly admitted students (N = 151,671) at 74 governmental eligible universities that had health center from 28 provinces were invited to participate in the health assessment program. The physical health behaviors of the students were evaluated by using questionnaire. The test-retest reliability method was applied to estimate the reliability of physical health questionnaire. After filling out the questionnaires, students were led to the examination room for the measurement of height, weight and blood pressure.

Results

From the total study population, 84,298 student’s ages between 18 and 29 years old, were participated in the health assessment. The mean response proportion was 63%. The mean age of students was 21.5 ± 4.01, with 49.20% percent being <20 years old. 32.31% were between 20 and 24 years, 13.44% between 25 and 29 years, 69% of the participants were undergraduate 34.9% were master’s students, and 2.9% were Ph.D. students. The mean BMI for total students was 22.5 ± 4.0 and regarding to gender, the mean BMI for male and female were 23.0 ± 4.1 and 22.2 ± 3.8 respectively.

Conclusion

Analysis of student’s findings will generate multiple studies which report different aspects of physical health of Iranian university students who constitute a large proportion of young adult aged 18–29 years in the country. This assessment also provides opportunity to compare Iranian student’s behavioral patterns with the behavioral pattern of students worldwide.
Title
Iranian university students lifestyle and health status survey: study profile
Authors
Masoume Mansouri
Farshad Sharifi
Mehdi Varmaghani
Hamid Yaghubi
Yousef Moghadas Tabrizi
Maede Raznahan
Alireza Khajavi
Maryam Ghodsi
Payam Roshanfekr
Gita Shafiee
Abasali Keshtkar
Mahdi Ebrahimi
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2251-6581
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40200-017-0329-z
This content is only visible if you are logged in and have the appropriate permissions.

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on progress in colorectal cancer

  • Live
  • Webinar | 11-12-2025 | 18:00 (CET)

CRC remains a major global health burden, but advances in screening, treatment, and lifestyle-based prevention continue to reshape clinical practice. Gain insights into how the latest research can be leveraged to optimize patient care across the CRC continuum.

Watch it live: Thursday 11 December 2025, 18:00-19:30 (CET)

Prof. Antoni Castells
Prof. Edward Giovannucci
Join the webinar
Webinar

2025 ESMO Congress hub

Unlock your free and exclusive access to expert interviews, news, and more from the annual congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

Read more

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on functional neurological disorder

FND perplexes and frustrates patients and physicians alike. Limited knowledge and insufficient awareness delays diagnosis and treatment, and many patients feel misunderstood and stigmatized. How can you recognize FND and what are the treatment options?

Prof. Mark Edwards
Watch now
Video
Image Credits
Colon cancer illustration/© (M) KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images, Cancer cell screening and treatment concept/© artacet / iStock / Getty Images Plus, Human brain illustration/© (M) CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images