Health Risk Behaviors among Students of Kathmandu

Abstract

The study of Health Risk Behavior is very important for protecting adolescents and youth from negative health outcomes. Adolescents and youth get information on health behavior from family, school, media and other sources. However, despite having knowledge of Health Risk Behavior, they still have the tendency to engage in such behavior. Therefore, it is imperative to understand different factors that force them to involve in Health Risk Behavior. Given such context, this study is designed to access the major determinants of four major health risk behaviors including cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use and risky sexual behavior at different environmental contexts such as personal, family and community. The research mainly followed quantitative method to explore Health Risk Behaviors and the extent to which sociodemographic, family and community level factors determine such behavior. Data was collected from 342 students through self administered survey questionnaires as a sample, proportionately from 18 public schools in Kathmandu. Univariate (frequency and percentage), bivariate (chi-square test) and multivariate (logistic regression) were performed. One of the key findings of the research is in relation to the prevalence of four ii Health Risk Behaviors. Alcohol use stands at the highest with 22.2%, followed by Risky Sexual Behavior (21.3%), cigarette smoking (19%) and drug use (3.8%). Altogether, 43.9 % of students were involved in at least one Health Risk Behavior and only 1.8 % students involved in all four Health Risk Behaviors. Gender, accompaniment, family violence and peer influences are determinants of all four major Health Risk Behaviors whereas parental factors and media determine some Health Risk Behaviors to different extents. Neighborhood and school factors are not strongly associated with Health Risk Behaviors. Gender analysis showed that male students are three times more likely to smoke and five times more likely to engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors than female students, the reason mainly being due to unequal power relations in Nepali socio-cultural context. Likewise, students staying alone are five times more likely to smoke and eight times more likely to engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors than those staying with their parents. Students who witness or are involved in family violences are four times more likely to smoke and three times more likely to use alcohol. Students whose parents monitor are three times less likely to use drug. Besides these factors, the research found that peer influence is the major determinants of Health Risk Behaviors. Students whose best friend smoked are three times more likely to smoke and seven times more likely to use alcohol. Students who watch adult movie/pron contents are three times more likely to involve in risky sexual behavior. The high prevalence of Health Risk Behaviors among students is a complex combination of determinants at personal, family and community levels. The level and ways of interaction of students with different determinants in their ecological system indicate their potential for adopting and avoiding particular behavior. Thus, keeping in mind the extent of possible influences of the determinants in the ecological system of the students, this research could be beneficial for researchers, scholars, policy iii makers, parents and school teachers to strategize the health behavior of adolescents and youth and to help reduce their engagement in Health Risk Behaviors