Health, health-promoting resources, and lifestyle factors among final-semester students in nursing, healthcare, and social work programs, and newly graduated nurses and healthcare and social work professionals - a repeated cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Health promotion in higher education may support sustainable health among future healthcare and social work professionals, who face elevated risk of poor health when entering working life. The aim of this study was to describe associations between general health, health-promoting resources, lifestyle factors, and social factors among final-semester students in nursing, healthcare, and social work programs and newly graduated nurses and healthcare and social work professionals. In addition, the study compared groups reporting excellent/very good general health with those reporting good, fair, or poor health. Methods Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire, between 2020 and 2023, which included items on health and lifestyle factors, along with validated instruments measuring health-promoting resources (sense of coherence, salutogenic health, emotional intelligence, occupational balance) and social support. Analyses included chi-square tests, non-parametric tests, and logistic regression. Results This study included 343 final-semester students in nursing, healthcare, and social work programs and 115 newly graduated professionals. In the final semester, excellent/very good health was most strongly associated with absence of sleep problems (OR 3.3), no oral tobacco use (OR 2.7), and exercising > 60 min/week (OR 2.8). Higher scores in sense of coherence, emotional intelligence, occupational balance were also linked to better health. Among newly graduated professionals, absence of sleep problems (OR 6.8), daily activity > 150 min/week (OR 3.5), and low alcohol use (OR 2.7) were associated with excellent/very good health. At both time points, groups with excellent or very good general health reported higher scores in sense of coherence, salutogenic health, emotional intelligence, and occupational balance. No significant differences in health or health-promoting resources were found between final-semester students and newly graduated professionals. Conclusion Participants reporting excellent or very good health had higher health-promoting resources and better sleep during their final semester in nursing, healthcare, and social work programs and as newly graduated professionals. Neither health nor health-promoting resources changed upon entering work-life, however, this observation should be interpreted cautiously given the study’s limitations and confirmed in future research. Health promotion during higher education and in early work-life may therefore be crucial for sustainable health. As some of the data were collected during the COVID-19 period, results should be interpreted with awareness that pandemic-related circumstances may have influenced lifestyle and perceived health.