The Relationship between Demographic Variables with General Health and Quality of Life in Students of Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch, Iran

Background and Objectives: Community mental health is one of the pillars of health assessment in communities, which is influenced by the quality of life, and is of great importance among students due to stressful education period. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between demographic variables with general health and quality of life among the male and female students. Methods: This study was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study on 209 students of the Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar Branch in 2013. The samples were selected using stratified sampling method. Data collection tools were demographic questionnaire, World Health Organization's Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQoL-BREF), and 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data analysis was performed by Pearson&rsquo;s correlation, analysis of variance, and independent t- tests. Results: In this study, the mean overall quality of life among female students (8.32&plusmn;1.91) was lower than male students (8.91&plusmn;1.62). Also, the total general health score was poorer in the female students (32.64&plusmn;12.91) compared to the male students (16.41&plusmn;7.63). The students with depression disorder (r=-0.178, p<0.01) and low general health (r=-0.152, p<0.029) had lower quality of life in mental health domain. Conclusion: Given the results of this research and undesirable level of general health and quality of life among the students, especially female ones, the need for comprehensive programs in universities is necessary to promote quality of life and general health and to reduce health disorders, and more attention should be paid to mental health and quality of life in students during education period