Self-efficacy and healthy lifestyle behaviors as mediators between COVID-19 care knowledge and health status

Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 28;14(1):30980. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82099-y.

Abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic has affected the psychological well-being and daily life of college students, leading to a decrease in their quality of life. Health status can be influenced by a variety of factors. This study aims to assess the current health status of university students and explore the relationships among COVID-19 care knowledge, self-efficacy, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and health status and how these factors are influenced. Among the 1694 participants, 49.4% were male, 50.6% were female, and 82.2% were freshmen. The results revealed that health status across all dimensions decreased to some extent. COVID-19 care knowledge affected both physical and mental component summaries. The results suggest that improving COVID-19 care knowledge, strengthening self-efficacy, and promoting the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors can positively impact their health status. Here, we explore the health status of college students with COVID-19 infection and the factors and mechanisms that influence it to guide health interventions to better meet the challenges posed by future outbreaks.

Keywords: COVID-19 care knowledge; Health status; Healthy lifestyle behaviors; Self-efficacy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / psychology
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Health Status*
  • Healthy Lifestyle*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Quality of Life
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Self Efficacy*
  • Students* / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Universities
  • Young Adult