The effects of healthy lifestyle promoting behaviors on general health of the employees working in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

BACKGROUND: The objective of this investigation was to assess the effects of health promotion behaviors on general health, which is one of the main determinants of health, preventing many diseases. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive analytic study was performed in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. A total of 175 employees working in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were enrolled into the study via random sampling. In this study, Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and a demographic questionnaire were used. The collected data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression tests. RESULTS: Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, at a significance level of 5%, health promotion behaviors had a significant effect on mental health (P = 0.003). Considering the calculated coefficient (0.283), every one unit of increase in health promotion score increased the mean mental health score by 0.24 units. CONCLUSION: Protecting the psychic health of the staff is one of the critical issues which plays a role in increasing the efficiency of the organization. Thus, it is of great importance to take steps to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors among employees and implement various interventions in this field.