Background: Nursing students are exposed to concepts of healthy lifestyles while they are
attending university. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze whether nursing students have
a healthier lifestyle than non-nursing students and to determine whether their behaviour is consistent
with their beliefs. Methods: A cross-sectional study, with 293 university students was performed
by using a validated questionnaire to measure beliefs and behaviour regarding health. Results:
The lifestyle pattern of the nursing students evaluated was characterised by a high percentage of
nurses with low levels of physical activity, poor balanced diet and smoking habits. The comparative
analysis showed no significant differences between nursing students and students from other degrees.
Conclusions: Students have a positive attitude and knowledge about healthy lifestyle, but do not
transfer it to their own lives. Nurses’ lifestyle can unintentionally affect the behaviour of other people
through their own behaviour and beliefs because they serve as a model for a healthy lifestyle. These
findings support that nurse educators have an active role as promoter of health by using lessons to
modify the behaviour of their students
