Perceptions of Health and Well-Being Among University Students With Different Cardiovascular Health Indices

Objective: analyze the differences in the perception of health and well-being between university students with high and low Cardiovascular Health Index (CHI) to identify those modulators that determine their adherence to healthy habits. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study with twenty-four students at the Medical School of the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM, selected through purposive sampling and using the in-depth interview technique as a methodological tool. We structured the information in such a way as to facilitate addressing the differences in the perception of health and well-being based on the CHI to generate a model that would allow visualization of the interdependence between modulators of adherence to healthy behaviors. Results: We determined differential patterns in the perception of well-being and health between both groups, identifying the dimensions that influence the cardiovascular health status of the participants, with family support being the principal modulator of cardiovascular health in the analyzed sample. Conclusion: The analysis of narratives on the perception of health and well-being among students with high and low chi revealed that individual habits influenced by family, emotional, and academic modulators determined cardiovascular health.