Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess health-promoting behaviors and examine their associations with socio demographic factors among undergraduate medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 medical students at a private medical college in Jeddah. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic variables and the validated Short-Form Adolescent Health Promotion Scale.
Results: Most participants were female (69.8%), reported middle-to-high socioeconomic status (94.1%), and had highly educated parents. Economic status emerged as the strongest determinant across multiple domains, showing significant associations with nutrition (p = 0.004), social support (p = 0.000), health responsibility (p = 0.018), and stress management (p = 0.001). Maternal education was significantly associated with social support (p = 0.022). Birth rank showed a significant association with social support (p = 0.000).
Conclusion: Health-promoting behaviors among medical students are strongly influenced by socioeconomic conditions and maternal education, while gender differences appear minimal. These findings highlight the need for targeted, equity-focused interventions that support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and strengthen family-based health education. Future longitudinal studies are recommended to explore causal pathways and broaden generalizability across diverse educational settings.

Key words: Health-promoting behaviors; Adolescents; Medical students; Socioeconomic status; Parental education; Saudi Arabia.