Gender-based differences in risk-taking behaviors among high school students in Southeast Iran

Author(s):  
Ali Bahramnejad ◽  
Abedin Iranpour ◽  
Nouzar Nakhaee

AbstractObjectivesRisk-taking behaviors among adolescents can negatively affect different dimensions of their health. This study was conducted to identify the gender-based differences in risk-taking behaviors among high school students in a Muslim population.MethodsGrade 10 students studying in high schools located in Kerman Province, Iran were enrolled through cluster sampling (n=2,676), and data were collected using a well-validated questionnaire about violence, sexual behaviors, and traffic-related conduct over the past 12 months. The tool also consisted questions regarding drug use over the past 30 days and over lifetime (i. e., current and ever use of drugs, respectively)ResultsThe number of female participants was 1,407 (52.6%). The boys who had girlfriends (33.0%) were almost twice as many as the girls who had boyfriends (17.1%). Among the respondents, 27.8 and 12.0% of the boys and girls engaged in physical fighting, respectively. Overall, the prevalence of water pipe use in the last 30 days (18.7%) and over lifetime (43.5%) was higher than that of the consumption of other substances. The second and third most popular substances used in the past 30 days among boys and girls were alcohol and cigarettes and cigarettes and alcohol, respectively. On the whole, marijuana figured in the lowest lifetime use among the respondents.ConclusionsThe rate of risk-taking behaviors in female students was lower than in males, and this difference was more evident than in Western countries. This discrepancy seems to be more obvious in cases where the religious prohibition of a behavior is greater such as extramarital intimacy.

1998 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek R. Holcomb ◽  
Wayne W. Westhoff ◽  
Robert J. McDermott

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) administered its 75-item 1991 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey to a nationwide random sample of 12, 248 high school students. In a secondary analysis of their data, one item on students' perceived class standing, was compared with selected health risk-taking practices. The 7.7% of students who indicated that they were “below the middle” in comparison with their classmates reported more participation in all risk-taking behaviors than students who reported being “in the middle” (28.6%) or “above the middle” (63.7%). Students' grades, ages, and ethnicity showed significant differences, with younger students and selected ethnocultural minority students more likely to report being “below the middle.” Perceived class standing may be a proxy measure for estimating participation in health-compromising practices.


2007 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 359-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahbal Aras ◽  
Semih Semin ◽  
Turkan Gunay ◽  
Esmahan Orcin ◽  
Sema Ozan

1997 ◽  
Vol 80 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1357-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Wessman Downey ◽  
Richard G. Landry

The period of adolescence is characterized as a time of experimentation during which adolescents may engage in adult behavior in the absence of understanding the consequences of these behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-reported sexual behaviors of late adolescent junior and senior high school students ( N = 7,699). The study indicated a significantly high and disconcerting frequency of self-reported risk-taking sexual behavior.


Author(s):  
Ridhwan Fauzi ◽  
Chitlada Areesantichai

AbstractObjectivesThe study aimed to examine factors associated with past 30 days waterpipe use among high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia.MethodsWe surveyed a multistage cluster random sample of 1,318 students of grade 10th and 11th from 14 schools in Jakarta. Multiple logistic regressions were employed to examine the association between past 30 days waterpipe use with sociodemographic characteristics, cigarettes smoking status, parental and peer use, availability and affordability.ResultsOf 1,318 participants, 3.3% of female and 8.4% of male currently smoked waterpipe. Multivariate analysis revealed that current waterpipe use was significantly associated with family use (AOR: 4.844, 95% CI: 1.225–19.151), friend use (AOR: 2.554, 95% CI: 1.424–4.582), and availability (AOR: 2.143, 95% CI: 1.127–4.076). Being current smokers were six times more likely (AOR: 6.055, 95% CI: 3.123–11.739) to use waterpipe in the past 30 days.ConclusionsThe finding suggests that smoking by a family member, friends, use of conventional cigarettes, and availability are significantly associated with increased probability of current waterpipe used among adolescents.


Author(s):  
Selamawit Hirpa ◽  
Andrew Fogarty ◽  
Adamu Addissie ◽  
Linda Bauld ◽  
Thomas Frese ◽  
...  

Shisha smoking is also known as hookah, water pipe, goza, and nargile. Shisha use among the young is increasing globally. Shisha smoke results in a high concentration of carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine, and heavy metals which can be toxic to humans, especially with chronic exposure. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors of shisha smoking among in-school adolescents in Ethiopia. Four regional states in Ethiopia (Oromia, Amhara, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, Tigray) and the capital city (Addis Ababa) were the study areas. A two-stage cluster sampling approach was employed to produce a representative sample. From the sampling frames in the study areas, 36 high schools were selected randomly. A multi-level logistic regression analysis was used to account for cluster-specific random effects, the effect of individuals’, and school-level variables for ever-use of shisha. A total of 3355 secondary school grade 9 and 10 students aged between 13 and 22 years took part in this study. A total of 86 (2.6%) and 20 (0.6%) of the study participants, reported that they had ever smoked or were current smokers of shisha, respectively. Of all study participants, 38.6% perceived shisha as less harmful than cigarettes and 48.5% reported that they do not know which was more harmful to health. Students were more likely to ever use shisha if they had friend/s who smoke shisha (AOR = 16.8, 95% CI: 6.4–44.3), ever smoked cigarettes (AOR = 8.2, 95% CI: 3.4–19.8), ever used khat (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.9–10.4), ever used marijuana (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.4–11.1), ever used smokeless tobacco (AOR = 3.1 95% CI: 1.1–8.4), and students had received income from their parents (AOR = 3.1 CI: 1.1–8.8). Prevalence of ever and current use of shisha among high school students is low in Ethiopia compared to many countries in Africa. The majority of adolescents perceived shisha as less harmful to health than cigarette smoking. Health education about the harmful effects of shisha should be delivered to adolescents, along with information on other substances like khat, cigarettes, marijuana, and smokeless tobacco to prevent initiation of substance use.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document