Sex differences in high-risk health behaviors among school-going adolescents in Yazd, Iran; a cross-sectional study

Mahmood Vakili; Mahboobahsadat Mirzadeh; Mohsen Mirzaei; Mozhgan Modarresi; Reihaneh Raei; Reihaneh Karimi; Arezoo Aghakoochak; Abbas Ali Imani

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16404

Sex differences in high-risk health behaviors among school-going adolescents in Yazd, Iran; a cross-sectional study

Heliyon. 2023 May 19;9(6):e16404. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16404. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Mahmood Vakili¹, Mahboobahsadat Mirzadeh², Mohsen Mirzaei³, Mozhgan Modarresi⁴, Reihaneh Raei¹, Reihaneh Karimi¹, Arezoo Aghakoochak¹, Abbas Ali Imani⁵

Affiliations

¹ Health Monitoring Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
² Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
³ Accident Prevention and Crisis Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
⁴ Yazd Cardiovascular Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
⁵ Yazd Education Organization, Yazd, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: Adolescents are exposed to a wide range of high-risk health behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the high-risk health behaviors of adolescents in an Iranian adolescent population and gender differences.

Method: This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited high school students in Yazd city in center of Iran. Schools were randomly selected. In each school, all selected classes were included. Sampling in each class was census. The study investigated self-reported high-risk health behaviors. Students completed the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), an anonymous, validated questionnaire.

Results: 2420 students participated in this study (52.5% male). The age range was 12-19 years. Daily consumption of ≥1 serving of fruit and vegetables per day was reported by 77.4% and 49.5% of respondents, respectively. Adequate physical activity was reported by only 18.4% of adolescents, and significantly less frequently by girls than boys (p < 0.001). 11.8% were current smokers (M/F ratio: 2.6), and 20.5% (M/F ratio: 1.5) were ever used hookah. The prevalence of ever alcohol and substance abuse was 15.5% and 8.8%, respectively. The prevalence of tobacco and substance use was significantly higher in participants' boys than in girls (p < 0.001). Males were over twice more likely to report frequent fighting in the past 12 months than girls. Overall, girls reported more parental supervision than boys (82.1% vs. 73.4%) and parental monitoring (90.6% vs. 86.8%), while boys reported higher levels of awareness over leisure activities than girls (65.8% vs. 58.4%).

Conclusions: High-risk health behaviors are more common in boys than girls. Health policymakers should use these results in prioritizing and designing health interventions to promote youth health. Further studies are recommended to identify the factors influencing the prevalence of these behaviors.

Keywords: Adolescent; Iran; Prevalence; Risk behaviors; School.