Journal of Semnan University of Medical Sciences
Image Credit:Koomesh
Outline
The relationship between duration of use of Virtual Social Networks and Health-Promoting Lifestyles in students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences
Authors
Abstract
Background: Despite the benefits of virtual social networks, concerns have been raised about their potential impact on people's health-promoting lifestyles, including students.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the duration of using virtual social networks and the health-promoting lifestyle.
Methods: This descriptive (correlation) study was conducted on the 200 students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences between February 1401 and September 1402 using a stratified random sampling method. Then, the demographic information checklist, the duration of using virtual social networks per day and month, and the health-promoting lifestyle profile II (HPLP-II) questionnaire were completed
Results: The mean age of the students was 20.56 ± 2.19 years. A weak and significant negative correlation was seen between the amount of use of virtual social networks during the day and the score of the physical activity area (P-value = 0.002), the interpersonal support area (P-value = 0.037), and the total health-promoting lifestyle score (P-value = 0.026).
Conclusion: According to the results of our study, there was a negative correlation between the duration of using the virtual network and the total score of the health-promoting lifestyle. Therefore, training courses at all levels, especially for students in educational environments, to have a targeted presence in virtual social networks, can be helpful in this regard.
Highlights
References
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© 2025, Author(s). This open-access article is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which allows for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
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