TITLE:
Self-Rated Health in University Students from Rio Branco in the Western Brazilian Amazon
AUTHORS:
Luciana de Mendonça Freire, Tatiane Dalamaria, Margarida de Aquino Cunha, Orivaldo Florencio de Souza
KEYWORDS:
Self-Rated Health, Epidemiological Factors, Students, Cross-Sectional Studies
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.6 No.16,
September
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of unsatisfactory self-rated health in university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in graduate students of a Public University in the city of Rio Branco in the Western Brazilian Amazon. The overall prevalence of unsatisfactory self-rated health was 23.0%. After adjusting for gender and age, the factors associated with unsatisfactory self-rated health were as follows: sedentarism during leisure time (prevalence ratio (PR): 2.26; 95% CI: 1.56 - 3.29), consuming meals only in restaurants (PR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.14 - 1.94), insomnia (PR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.50 - 2.30), headaches (PR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.52 - 3.09), and back pain (PR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.58 - 2.60). Thus, a high prevalence of unsatisfactory self-rated health was identified in this group of university students. The findings suggest immediate implementation of programs to promote healthy behaviors and to prevent headaches, back pain and insomnia.