Empowering Young Adults through Value-Integrated Healthcare: A Quasi-Experimental Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Health Promotion Program in Selected Colleges, Chennai

Abstract

Background: Young adults are particularly vulnerable to unhealthy lifestyle patterns, mental health challenges, and limited health literacy as they navigate the transition to independence and university life. This underscores the need for tailored health promotion programs designed to address these risks and foster long-term well-being.

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a value-integrated health promotion program in enhancing lifestyle behaviours, improving mental well-being, and strengthening value congruence among college students.”

Methodology: A quasi-experimental one-group pretest–post-test design was adopted, involving 100 undergraduate students aged 18 to 24 years from selected colleges in Chennai. Participants completed an eight-week structured value-integrated health promotion program addressing physical activity, healthy diet, stress management, emotional well-being, reproductive health, prevention of substance use, digital well-being, and help-seeking behaviour. Data were collected using standardized assessment tools before and after the intervention and analysed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and Pearson correlation.

Results: Post-test scores showed significant improvements in health-promoting lifestyle behaviours, mental wellbeing, and value congruence, with p<0.001 for all outcomes. The proportion of students in the high category increased across all measures. Positive correlations were found between lifestyle behaviors, mental wellbeing, and value congruence, with the strongest relationship between mental wellbeing and value congruence (r=0.65, p<0.01).

Conclusion: The value-integrated health promotion program effectively improved health behaviors, mental wellbeing, and value alignment among young adults. Findings highlight the importance of structured, participatory, and values-based approaches in empowering students to adopt healthier lifestyles and enhance resilience.