Health-Promoting Behaviors and Lifestyle Profile of Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Remote Island Teaching Hospital of India

A BSTRACT Background: Medical students face high levels of stress and irregular routines, predisposing them to unhealthy behaviors that may compromise their well-being and predispose to lifestyle disorders, especially in remote settings like Andaman and Nicobar (A and N) Islands. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among (May–December 2024) among 481 medical students at the only tertiary care medical college in the A and N Islands. The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) questionnaire (52 items, six subscales) was used. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s posthoc test, and reliability testing was done using Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω . Results: In total, 83.0% students had moderate HPLP-II scores, with a pooled per item – mean of 2.37 ± 0.34. Spiritual growth (2.65 ± 0.53) and interpersonal relationships (2.59 ± 0.42) were highest, while the health responsibility domain was lowest (2.09 ± 0.43). The scale also demonstrated excellent reliability ( α = 0.902, ω = 0.896). Conclusion: Medical students of A and N Islands predominantly had moderate health-promoting behaviors, with the lowest scores in health responsibility and physical activity. Institution-level support for exercise, nutrition counselling, and peer-support initiatives are necessary to improve student well-being.