Sabrina, B.F.Wickramage, P.D.2025-11-122025-11-122021-11-27Proceedings of the PGIHS Research Congress PGIHS-RC-2020/21, P.27978-955-7395-03-6https://ir.lib.pdn.ac.lk/handle/20.500.14444/6548The hot and cold concept is a prominent element of the traditional medical systems found all over the world. It is used in preventive, curative, promotive as well as in rehabitative aspects of health by people around the world. The objective of this study was to identify how undergraduates practice hot and cold concept in their daily life. A qualitative study was conducted in the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya. Ten undergraduates were selected as respondents by applying purposive sampling technique to conduct in-depth interviews. And thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data. According to the study findings, hot and cold concept has impacted on undergraduates’ health behavior. It includes the health behavior related to food and beverages, diseases, bodily conditions, climate and seasons, time-period, bathing, clothing, and medicine. Undergraduates categorized food and beverages as hot or cold depending on how each food item impact the human body. They classifyed vegetables, spices, fruits, green leaves, grains, oil varieties, yams, dairy products, beverages, meat, and seafood items based on the hot or cold concept. Health behaviors related to bodily conditions describe how the respondents categorized their bodies as hot or cold. It describes their view on how bodily conditions make the differences in influencing the same causes as roots for the diseases where hot or cold nature of other elements and forces in the environment affect differently on them. Further, the study discovered how undergraduates’ health behavior changes according to the climate and seasons. This included how they change their clothing, bathing, and food choices during hot and cold seasons. And the nature of medical substances and undergraduate’s health behavior related to it also was uncovered in the study. Based on the study findings it is concluded that, undergraduates had awareness on hot and cold concept, classifications and balancing hot or cold nature in the human body. Further, undergraduates’ health behavior and their choices of hot and cold concept were highly influenced by the existing facilities within the university, which include canteen facilities and medical facilities. This makes limitations in their choices and it creates a gap between the knowledge of hot and cold concept and its practice among undergraduates.en-USHot and cold conceptUndergraduatesHealth behaviourArticle