1Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Korea. 2College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Korea. spark@khu.ac.kr 3College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Korea.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adolescent risk behaviors are of concern because they are dangerous in themselves and have negative influences on adult health. Objectives This study explored six health risk behaviors of a sample representing the adolescent population in Jeju.
METHODS: Frequency and percentage of risk behaviors were calculated. Additionally, the chi-square test was used to explore whether differences in experimentation with risk behaviors exist relative to gender and schooling levels.
RESULTS: There were six major findings in this study: (a) a lower rate of lifetime and current cigarette use among female students compared to male students, (b) a substantial portion of heavy drinkers, (c) a higher rate of lifetime drug use among female students than among male students, (d) a higher prevalence of suicide ideation among female students than among male students, (e) substantial percentages of students who did not usually wear seatbelts, motorcycle helmets, or bicycle helmets, and (f) a substantial portion of students who were not involved in vigorous physical activities.
CONCLUSIONS: Since a substantial portion of adolescents have been involved with diverse risk behaviors, it is urgent to implement effective intervention strategies to reduce the rates of these behaviors.
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