Agency for self-care of health in university students: characteristics and differences

The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics and differences of university students in relation to self-care. A quantitative methodology was used, with ex post facto cross-sectional design with descriptive scope. Data were collected in an intentional non-probabilistic sample of 400 students from the Autonomous University of Coahuila, 64.3% women and 35.8% men, with an average age of 21 years, 36.5% from the Torreón unit, 30.% from the North unit and 33% from Saltillo. The Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale (ASA) was applied, data collection was carried out electronically through the SurveyMonkey platform. The results show that the self-care analyzed from the sociodemographic characteristics studied are similar in the three campuses, the prevalence of physical and mental illnesses was analyzed, highlighting mental health diseases such as anxiety, reported in almost a third of the sample and depression, reaching more than 20%. It is concluded from the characteristics of self-care reported that it is important to identify and understand the barriers experienced by young people, this to promote better practices of health care and self-care, which allow healthy lifestyles for the benefit of greater well-being in university students, although, self-care practices must be learned continuously. It is during adolescence and youth that these practices become less frequent, which constitutes a risk factor for this sector of the population.