Background : Health educators are role models for their students. It is assumed that they will apply their
professional knowledge to their own Lifestyle. This study aimed to assess and describe the health self care
practices among university nursing educators and their goals for health by measuring their subjective well-being and
self-reported health status as well as their life style and periodic screening. The study is a descriptive study and
was conducted in two Faculties of Nursing (Alexandria and Benha University). The sample comprised 90 nursing
educators 60 from Alexandria University and 30 from Benha University. They were chosen by simple random
sampling technique. The tools used in this study were a Structured Questionnaire, it comprised two sections:
Demographic characteristics of the subjects and assessment of self health care practices (derived from the Canada
Health Survey) which includes subjective well-being, life style practices, periodic screening and seeking Medical
information. In this study subjective well-being, and lifestyle behaviors, preventive practices as a self-perceived
global affective experience along a positive-negative continuum was operationalized by use of the Affect Balance
Scale. More than one third of them got negative scores response toward their nutritional pattern and elimination.
The health care practices of the nursing educators placed toward the positive end of positive-negative continuum of
the subjective well-being. Breast self examination is the most examination done but infrequently by half of the
subjects. Highly significant relation was found between years of experience of the participants and their subjective
wellbeing, nutrition and elimination pattern. This descriptive and exploratory study may provide a baseline for
future study of nurse's educators’ health, an indication of areas for health promotion programs or work shop for
nursing educators and a discussion point for them to continue to assess their own health and the factors affecting
their own health and goals for health |
