J Korean Acad Womens Health Nurs.  1999 Nov;5(3):362-378.

Sex Role Identity and Health Behavior among University Student

• Park EO
• Park YS

Abstract

This study is to investigate sex role identity and health behavior among university students in Seoul, during the late of 1999. The instruments for data obtainment were KSRI of Kim(1994), and Health Style : A Self-Test provided by ODPHP National Health Information Center. These instrument were reliable, showing Cronbach alpha .98 and .77. Frequency, t-test, x2-test, stepwise regression were conducted for data analysis, using SAS 6.12 program. The major findings were as follows : 1. For female student. Androgeny(34.0%)type was most common and subjects of feminity type were 28.7%. In contrast, Masculinity type(41.8%) was most prevalent. and undifferentiated type was 30.1% among male students. There were significant difference between male and female studentin the type of sex role identity. 2. 89.6% of all subjects were included in risk group for exercise and physical activity, 86.4% for diet habit, 43.2% for alcohol drinking and drug use, 35.6% for stress control, 32.8% for safety behavior, 24.8% for smoking. The big health risk behavior problem of male students were smoking, drinking, diet habit, and exercise. The important health risk behavior problem were diet habit and exercise. There were significant difference in smoking, drinking, exercise between sex. 3. Analysis of the distribution by sex role identity type and health behavior revealed that subjects who were undifferentiated typed group had high risk behavior in stress control, safety, exercise, drinking. Smoking and drinking were more problematic for masculinity typed group had high risk behavior in diet and exercise. The data showed that androginy typed group had more healthy behavior, compared with other sex role identity typed group for all of health behavior. Further research is need to understand the role of sex role identity in health behavior, the variables associated with them. And sex role identity has to be considered in research and practice about health promotion.

MeSH Terms

Alcohol Drinking
Diet
Drinking
Female
Food Habits
Gender Identity*
Health Behavior*
Health Promotion
Humans
Information Centers
Male
Masculinity
Motor Activity
Risk-Taking
Seoul
Smoke
Smoking
Statistics as Topic
Smoke