ABSTRACT

This descriptive research study was conducted to assess health perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of middle school students.

The research was conducted on 346 students selected using the stratified and simple random sampling method in all middle schools in Famagusta District. The Personal Information Form, the Health Perception Scale (HPS), and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II forms were used.

The students in the sample were found to scor an average of 52.96 ± 7.73 points on HPS. Therefore, the health perception of the students was found to be moderate. The students scored an average of 130.42 ± 20.71 points on this scale. The overall scores of the students who were included in the stud on HPS were found to statistically significantly and positively correlate with their overall scores on the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II and their scores on all dimensions of the scale. This means that the perception of health directly affects the behaviors of healthy lifestyle.

In conclusion, it is recommended to carry out studies for raising students’ health perceptions and improving their healthy lifestyle behaviors because enhancing health perceptions of students positively affects their healthy life behaviors.