Health Promoting Lifestyles and Self-Efficacy in Male Adolescents in Sanandaj, 2013

Background and Health promoting behaviors are important due to the potential for the prevention of chronic disease، reduce morbidity، improve quality of life and reduce health care burdens in the community. This study aimed to determine the health promoting lifestyle status and its dimensions in adolescent boys and its relationship with self-efficacy and socio-demographic characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 760 adolescent boys 18-14 years old in the city of Sanandaj in 2013. Random sampling was used. The data was collected by Adolescent Healthy Lifestyle questionnaire and Sherer General Self-Efficacy scale. To determine the relationship between health promoting lifestyle with self-efficacy and socio-demographic characteristics، multivariate linear regression analysis was used. The mean of age was 15. 6±1. 88% of the male students were studying in governmental and semi-governmental schools and 37% were studying in grade nine. The total mean score of health promoting behaviors in adolescent boys was 3. 49. The adolescent boys had the highest (4. 00) and the lowest (3. 12) score in life appreciation and health responsibility، respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and health promoting lifestyle and its subscales (r=0. 2 to 0. 4). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that there is a significant correlation between variables of self-efficacy، course of education، father''s occupation، and income with health promoting lifestyle The findings show the adolescents «sometimes» to «often» engage in health promoting behaviors. In addition to self-efficacy as the main predictor، some of the socio-demographic characteristics also are among the predictors of health behaviors. By considering the adolescent years as a foundation for one’s future life، it is necessary to provide strategies to promote lifestyle in adolescents.