Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents In Two Cities Of China: Prevalence And Associated Factors

Objective：To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of adolescent health riskbehavior and explore the influence factors of smoking, drinking and suicide ideation inWuhu of Anhui Province and Jiaxing city of Zhejiang province, China. The aim of thesurvey was to provide a scientific basis for developing a comprehensive interventionmeasures for related departments.Methods：Convenient cluster random sampling method was used to select sevensecondary schools from Wuhu and Jiaxing city, China. A questionnaire survey wasconducted among6347secondary schools students, which include general informationof the students, their family backgrounds; Adolescent health risk behavior surveillancescale. EpiData3.0was used to establish database, and SPSS18.0were used for dataanalyzing.Results：A total of6347students was recruited in our study,the prevalence of currentsmoking and current alcohol use were4.2%and21.9%,respectively.7.0%studentswith current alcohol use had heavy drinking habit. The prevalence of bicycle ridingviolations and physical fight was32.5%and20.2%, respectively. The rates ofswimming in insecurity-swimming areas among students were8.7%. The rates offeeling unsafe on the way home or go to school were3.9%.38.6%of them have foodpreferences,9.8%had drunk soda or pop at least one time per day, and20.3%ofstudents ate sweet food once or more a day,8.2%of students have not breakfast.57.1%of students lacking of physically active. The prevalence of computer games addiction and internet addiction were13.7%and11.3%, respectively. And17.4%of students havea gambled experience in the past time. the prevalence of feeling sad or hopeless,pressure in studding, sleeping disturbance, depression were13.2%,28.0%,8.1and12.3%,respectively.20.3%of students had a suicide idea before.10.5%of studentsreported they have read pornography book or video during the past year, and2.7%ofsenior high school students had an experience of sexual behavior. There were significantdifferences in adolescent health risk behavior between male and female students, amongdifferent learning stages, and among students from different area. Male students withpoor performance school have higher prevalence of health risk behaviors than that offemale students with good performance in studing.Conclusions：The heath risk behaviors was prevalence among adolescents in Wuhu andJiaxing. Some family, mental and social factors are associated with adolescent healthrisk behavior. To improve the awareness of self-protection, health education and lifeskills education from schools related departments should be conducted according to thecharacteristics of different schools and gender. In addition, effective and regularcommunication, including better family relationship, with the parents is still necessary.Only the joint efforts of a school, family and society, the prevalence of health riskbehaviors will be reducing and control.