Abstract
Quality of life is being widely discussed in the current scenario, and presents challenges for health policies and practices. One of the possible scenarios for exploring and analyzing aspects that can influence people’s quality of life is undergraduate education. In this context, this research aims to compare and reflect on the quality of life of freshman and senior students of three courses of a Federal University in the southern region of Brazil. It is a descriptive, cross-sectional study that follows a quantitative approach in which the WHOQOL-bref, an instrument developed by the World Health Organization, was used to evaluate quality of life in an abbreviated model. The study sample was composed of 119 individuals from undergraduate programs of the health area. Data was collected from April to June 2017 and processed using the Statistica 9.1 software at a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). Results demonstrated a decrease, although without significant statistical difference, in the quality of life of the freshman students compared with that of the senior students, which can be justified by the impact and transitions that university admission produces. Thus, it is necessary that undergraduate students have access to a network of support and care that could provide them with adequate professional training and reduced health risks, enhancing their quality of life.
Keywords:
Quality of Life; Undergraduate Education; Adaptation; Occupational Therapy; Speech Therapy; Physiotherapy
