Evaluation of Self-Care Behaviours Among University Students in Kerbala, Iraq: Across Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Self-care behaviours are critical elements of physical, mental, and social health, particularly among higher education students who have to endure various academic, social, and personal demands. Adoption of a university lifestyle is usually accompanied by increased academic pressure and responsibility, lifestyle changes and reduced parental supervision, which tend to influence the health-related behaviours among the students negatively.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the level of self-care behaviours and their association with sociodemographic characteristics among university students in Kerbala, Iraq.     Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 332 undergraduate students from five colleges at the University of Kerbala, Iraq, from November 2025 to January 2026. A validated instrument, the Mindful Self-Care Scale 2.0 (MSCS), was used to collect data on self-care behaviours and sociodemographic characteristics. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent-samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Results: The majority of university students (72.3%) exhibited a moderate level of self-care behaviour. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between self-care behaviours and age (P = 0.024), while no statistically significant associations were observed with other sociodemographic characteristics.Conclusion: The study indicates that a substantial proportion of university students have a moderate level of self-care behaviours, with a positive relationship observed between self-care and age, while no associations were found with other sociodemographic variables.