Determining the relationship between health anxiety and healthy lifestyle behaviors, and the factors that affect them: A cross-sectional study in Turkey

Purpose This study was conducted to determine the relationship between health anxiety (HA) and healthy lifestyle behaviors (HLBs), and the factors that affect them. Design and Methods This descriptive, cross-sectional, and relational study was conducted with 1007 voluntary participants between June 1 and September 30, 2020. Findings The participants' mean age was 33.46 +/- 15.42 years. A positive-significant relationship was found between the participants' total HA and HLBs scores (r = 0.06, p = 0.03). The simple linear regression analysis performed by the researchers indicated that the explanatory power of HA as a determinant of HLBs was statistically significant (R-2 = 0.05). Practical Implications This study determined that health anxiety increased the tendency towards HLBs.