Health Promoting Behaviors in Iranian Female Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aims: Adolescents are among one of the most vulnerable populations, and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid and unprecedented changes in the lives of millions of adolescents around the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the health-promoting behaviors among female Iranian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instrument Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 529 female students from Saveh, Iran high schools were selected by multi-stage sampling and participated in the study. Data were collected using the Demographic Information and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLPII). Data were analyzed using ANOVA and independent t-tests in SPSS 21. Findings: The results showed that the mean and standard deviation of the health-promoting behavior score was moderate (89.3±11.2). Among the dimensions of HPLPII, the highest scores were related to health responsibility, nutrition, physical activity, and stress management. There were significant differences in mean scores across numerous health-promoting behavior domains and father’s occupation status, mother’s education level, hobby type, and participants’ academic status. Conclusion: Moderate overall mean score of health-promoting behaviors and low mean scores across stress management and physical activity domains suggest that female youth require resources to improve health behaviors, particularly during the ongoing pandemic.