Health-Behavioral Patterns of High School Students in Tabriz

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death in many countries in the globe. Behavioral risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and the lack of physical activity are the most important determinants of these diseases and mortality. The source of behavioral risk factors in chronic diseases are in childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral risk factors and pattern in adolescents in Tabriz city, northwest of Iran.

A total of 1517 high school students were recruited for this cross-sectional study in Tabriz city using cluster random sampling. The data were collected using Global School-based Student Health Survey tool introduced by the World Health Organization.

Five percent of students had smoked once or more within the last 30 days. Nearly, twenty percent of students had a previous experience of cigarette smoking. About one percent of the cases had experienced different forms of drug consumption. Our findings showed that 4.2 percent (CI: 3.1-5.2) had committed suicide at least once during the last year and 4.2 percent of the students had carried cold weapons with them at least once every week. Eighty percent never used bike for sports, work or leisure. More than 45 percent of the students had some training courses in the classroom on the prevention of HIV infection, and 41.9 percent had talked to their parents about this matter.

Based on our findings, more educational courses are needed in schools. Multi-sectoral collaboration in education, health and policy-making would also have a key role to improve adolescent health status in the community.