Self efficacy, health promoting behaviors, and symptoms of stress among university students

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self efficacy (SE), health promoting behaviors (HPB) and symptoms of stress (SOS) among university students. METHOD: Data was collected by questionnaires from 369 university students in Seoul, Korea. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean score for SE was 3.42, the mean score for HPB was 2.48, and the mean score for SOS was 2.31. The score of SOS showed a significantly negative correlation with the score of SE (r=-.24, p=.00) and HPB (r=-.13, p=.00). Also, SOS showed a significantly negative correlation with diet HPB (r=-.15, p=.00), spiritual growth HPB (r=-.17, p=.00), interpersonal relationship HPB (r=-.17, p=.00), and stress management HPB (r=-.10, p=.04). The most powerful predictor of SOS was SE and the variance was 10%. A combination of SE, diet, problems related to drinking, and responsibility for health HPB account for 16% of the variance in SOS among university students. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that SE and HPB are significant influencing factors on SOS among university students.