Health behaviors in professionally active nurses – preliminary research

Abstract

Introduction. Health behaviors are all behaviors related to health. The study was aimed at recognizing the health behaviors of professionally active nurses. Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate health behaviors presented by professionally active nurses. Material and methods. 103 nurses were included in the study. The method of diagnostic survey was used in the paper, and the research tool was the author’s questionnaire for socio-demographic data and the Inventory of Health Behaviors. Results. Nearly 60% of the respondents declared participation in preventive examinations. 70% of nurses put the family first in the hierarchy of life values. In the group of professionally active nurses, the value of health behavior index was 80.52 points. Conclusion. The greatest value in the life of nurses was the family right after health and work. Nurses declared regular participation in preventive screenings. They presented the average level of health behaviors. The nurses’ educational level positively affected the level of their health behavior. Nurses living in the countryside showed a higher level of health behavior. Nurses with chronic condition presented a lower level of health behaviors than their healthy colleagues.