Risk behaviors among Italian healthcare students: a cross-sectional study for health promotion of future healthcare workers.

Risk behaviors are frequent among young adults and they are particularly relevant when considering healthcare students. The study is aimed to examine the prevalence of smoking, binge drinking, physical inactivity, and excessive bodyweight in a population of healthcare students attending an Italian university. Healthcare students filled an anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire on the occasion of the occupational health visit that preceded their hospital internship. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic characteristics (including student's working status and cohabitation) and risk behaviors. We evaluated the prevalence of risk behaviors and their association with socio-demographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 494 students (65% women): 23.2% were smokers, 7.9% had excessive bodyweight, 35% did not practice any physical activity and 50% reported binge drinking at least once in the last 12 months. We found associations of male sex (30.5%) and being nursing students (29.9%) with smoking habit. The frequency of binge drinking was higher in men (38.4%), working students (53.9%), and among those who lived without family (50%). Physical inactivity was associated with female sex (44.2%) and living without family (57.1%). Finally, the co-presence of 2 risk behaviors or more was higher in men (36.8%), in nursing students (39.6%) and in working students (44.7%). Our findings regarding the prevalence of risk behaviors and their potential association with socio-demographic factors may be a clue to the definition of targeted strategies aimed at reducing of risk behaviors among healthcare students.