Risky Behaviors and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Young Adults: An Epidemiological Study
-
Leila Jahangard
,
Helen Behmanesh
,
Mohammad Ahmadpanah
,
Seyedeh Mahsa Poormoosavi
,
Alireza Soltanian
,
Mohammad Haghighi
Abstract
Objective: Health behaviors are defined as activities that affect either health status or disease risk. They can be divided into 2 categories: risky behaviors and health promoting behaviors. The growing body of evidence indicates that unhealthy behaviors often cluster in young individuals. Patterns of health-related behaviors are significantly different among countries and even among various regions of a certain country.
Method: The present study was conducted to assess the youths’ patterns of health attitude, health-related behaviors, and their mental and physical wellbeing. In this cross-sectional study, 800 university undergraduate students were selected using multistage cluster sampling method. Standard questionnaires were filled by students.
Results: About 13.3% of students smoked regularly and 14.3% reported at least one occasion of drinking, and heavy drinking was quite prevalent. Of the students, 95% reported regular physical activity and exercise. Eating habits were not healthy among the majority of students, as there was a high consumption of fast food and salt, and only 23.9% had normal body weight. Self-care behaviors were not prevalent among the students (3.2% breast self-exam and 8.5% testicular self-examination).
Conclusion: Many factors may affect positive and negative heath behaviors, including knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, legal constrains, social context, and economic status. However, lower health literacy leads to more negative health behaviors.
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31. Park A, Eckert TL, Zaso MJ, Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Vanable PA, Carey KB, et al. Associations Between Health Literacy and Health Behaviors Among Urban High School Students. J Sch Health. 2017;87(12):885-93.
32. Wantland DJ, Portillo CJ, Holzemer WL, Slaughter R, McGhee EM. The effectiveness of Web-based vs. non-Web-based interventions: a meta-analysis of behavioral change outcomes. J Med Internet Res. 2004;6(4):e40.
33. Webb TL, Joseph J, Yardley L, Michie S. Using the internet to promote health behavior change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of theoretical basis, use of behavior change techniques, and mode of delivery on efficacy. J Med Internet Res. 2010;12(1):e4.
2. Tunstall-Pedoe H. Preventing Chronic Diseases. A Vital Investment: WHO Global Report. Geneva: World Health Organization. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2006;35(4):1107.
3. Meng L, Maskarinec G, Lee J, Kolonel LN. Lifestyle factors and chronic diseases: application of a composite risk index. Prev Med. 1999;29(4):296-304.
4. Alamian A, Paradis G. Individual and social determinants of multiple chronic disease behavioral risk factors among youth. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:224.
5. Organization WH. Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks: Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009.
6. Peltzer K, Pengpid S. Health Behavior Interventions in Developing Countries: Malawi Medical Journal. 2011; 26(2):50-.
7. Boutayeb A, Boutayeb S. The burden of non communicable diseases in developing countries. Int J Equity Health. 2005;4(1):2.
8. Sirois FM. A self-regulation resource model of self-compassion and health behavior intentions in emerging adults. Prev Med Rep. 2015;2:218-22.
9. Halpin HA, Morales-Suárez-Varela MM, Martin-Moreno JM. Chronic disease prevention and the new public health. Public Health Reviews. 2010 Jun; 32(1):120..
10. Steptoe A, Wardle J. Cognitive predictors of health behaviour in contrasting regions of Europe. Br J Clin Psychol. 1992;31 ( Pt 4):485-502.
11. Yearbook IS. 1394 (Iranian Year) [2015-2016]. (2017). Publisher: Statistical Centre of Iran.
12. Steptoe A, Wardle J, Cui W, Bellisle F, Zotti A-M, Baranyai R, et al. Trends in Smoking, Diet, Physical Exercise, and Attitudes toward Health in European University Students from 13 Countries, 1990–2000. Prev Med. 2002;35(2):97-104.
13. Wardle J, Steptoe A. The European health and behaviour survey: Rationale, methods and initial results from the United Kingdom. Soc Sci Med. 1991;33(8):925-36.
14. Breslau N, Peterson EL, Kessler RC, Schultz LR. Short screening scale for DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1999;156(6):908-11.
15. Bush K, Kivlahan DR, McDonell MB, Fihn SD, Bradley KA. for the Ambulatory Care Quality Improvement P. The audit alcohol consumption questions (audit-c): An effective brief screening test for problem drinking. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158(16):1789-95.
16. Haghdoost AA, Moosazadeh M. The prevalence of cigarette smoking among students of Iran's universities: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Res Med Sci. 2013;18(8):717-25.
17. Abdullah AS, Fielding R, Hedley AJ. Patterns of cigarette smoking, alcohol use and other substance use among Chinese university students in Hong Kong. Am J Addict. 2002;11(3):235-46.
18. Metintaş S, Sariboyaci M, Nuhoğlu S, Metintaş M, Kalyoncu C, Etiz S, et al. Smoking patterns of university students in Eskişehir, Turkey. Public health. 1998;112(4):261-4
19. Waldron I. Patterns and causes of gender differences in smoking. Social science & medicine. 1991 Jan 1; 32(9):989-1005.
20. Hagen EH, Garfield MJ, Sullivan RJ. The low prevalence of female smoking in the developing world: gender inequality or maternal adaptations for fetal protection? Evol Med Public Health. 2016;2016(1):195-211.
21. Abdullah ASM, Fielding R, Hedley AJ. Patterns of cigarette smoking, alcohol use and other substance use among Chinese university students in Hong Kong. Am J Addict. 2002;11(3):235-46.
22. Heydarabadi AB, Ramezankhani A, Barekati H, Vejdani M, Shariatinejad K, Panahi R, et al. Prevalence of substance abuse among dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2015;4(2):e22350.
23. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and A. High‐Risk Drinking in College: What We Know and What We Need to Learn. Final Report on the Panel on Contexts and Consequences. 2002.
24. Weitzman ER, Chen Y-Y, Subramanian S. Youth smoking risk and community patterns of alcohol availability and control: a national multilevel study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005;59(12):1065-71.
25. De Leon J, Rendon DM, Baca-Garcia E, Aizpuru F, Gonzalez-Pinto A, Anitua C, et al. Association between smoking and alcohol use in the general population: stable and unstable odds ratios across two years in two different countries. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2007;42(3):252-7.
26. Gandhi SJ, Varia KG, Dabhi M, Choudary M. Eating habits and other risk factors: are the future health care service providers really at risk for life style disorders; Int J Res Med Sci. 2015;3(3):645-9.
27. Al-Rethaiaa AS, Fahmy A-EA, Al-Shwaiyat NM. Obesity and eating habits among college students in Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study. Nutr J. 2010;9:39.
28. Paschall MJ. College attendance and risk-related driving behavior in a national sample of young adults. J Stud Alcohol. 2003;64(1):43-9.
29. Daley CM. College Students' Knowledge of Risk and Screening Recommendations for Breast, Cervical, and Testicular Cancers*. J Cancer Educ. 2007;22(2):86-90.
30. Dhendup T, Tshering P. Cervical cancer knowledge and screening behaviors among female university graduates of year 2012 attending national graduate orientation program, Bhutan. BMC Womens Health. 2014;14(1):44.
31. Park A, Eckert TL, Zaso MJ, Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Vanable PA, Carey KB, et al. Associations Between Health Literacy and Health Behaviors Among Urban High School Students. J Sch Health. 2017;87(12):885-93.
32. Wantland DJ, Portillo CJ, Holzemer WL, Slaughter R, McGhee EM. The effectiveness of Web-based vs. non-Web-based interventions: a meta-analysis of behavioral change outcomes. J Med Internet Res. 2004;6(4):e40.
33. Webb TL, Joseph J, Yardley L, Michie S. Using the internet to promote health behavior change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of theoretical basis, use of behavior change techniques, and mode of delivery on efficacy. J Med Internet Res. 2010;12(1):e4.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 14 No 4 (2019) | |
| Section | Original Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v14i4.1981 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Adult Behavior Healthy Risky | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Jahangard L, Behmanesh H, Ahmadpanah M, Poormoosavi SM, Soltanian A, Haghighi M. Risky Behaviors and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Young Adults: An Epidemiological Study. Iran J Psychiatry. 2019;14(4):302-308.
