Abstract:
Substantial literature connects religiousness to physical health; however, few
studies have explored the influence of religiousness on risk-taking factors
among Black first-entering university students. The purpose of this study was
to investigate the influence of religiousness on health risk behaviours among
a sample of university students (N = 333) from a predominantly Black
university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The risk behaviours of
interest were alcohol consumption, risky sexual behaviours, cigarette
smoking, drug use, rates of engagement in physical activity, and patterns of
consuming healthy foods daily. The study used a cross-sectional design.
Results indicated that intrinsic religiosity was negatively associated with
alcohol consumption; risky sexual behaviours, cigarette smoking and drug
use, and the effects of gender were present in both relationships. Intrinsic
religiosity’s association with alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviours
had no gender effect. Nevertheless, there was no direct relationship between
diet and physical engagement, although intrinsic religiosity influenced the
students’ engagement in physical activity only in the context of gender. It is
recommended that a three-way design may be more effective in uncovering
some of the associations between intrinsic religiosity and risk behaviours such
as eating a healthy diet and engaging in physical activity.
