Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behaviour: A Determinant for Noncommunicable Diseases Risk Factors Among Employees in a Nigerian University

INTRODUCTION: Overweight, hyperglycaemia and hypertension are risk factors for development of cardiovascular diseases that have the highest mortality and morbidity rates among noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) globally. The aim of this study was to examine the health-promoting lifestyle behaviour that determine risk factors for Noncommunicable diseases among university employees in Nigeria.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among university employees in Nigeria. Data were collected from 280 employees in the university by means of a questionnaire that consisted of three sections. Collected data were analysed using IBM-SPSS version 25.

RESULTS: Good physical activity lifestyle behaviour (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.1, 95% CI: [1.1–3.9]) and good health responsibility lifestyle behaviour (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI: [1.2–4.9]) were statistically significant predictors of normal body mass index. Also, good health-promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP) (aOR = 3.1, 95% CI: [1.3–7.6]) was a statistically significant predictor of normal waist–hip ratio. However, there is no statistically significant relationship between HPLP and random blood sugar or between HPLP and blood pressure.

CONCLUSION: The findings from the study reveal that good health-promoting lifestyle behaviour especially health responsibility, physical activity and stress management behaviour are determinant of overweight and obesity which are major risk factors for development of cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and some form of cancer. Hence, to reduce the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases, there is a need to develop an intervention to improve university employee’s health-promoting lifestyle.