Anda-Ioana Curta

Social Predictive Factors of Health Risk Behaviours Among Adolescents from Romania

Anda-Ioana Curta, Ileana Maria Mireştean, Sorina Irimie

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Article information

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Abstract

Adolescent population and health of adolescents is a very special issue and is focus of attention globally for various reasons. The world today is home to the largest generation of 10–19 year old in our history and number over one billion and their population is continuously increasing. Adolescents need to be treated as a distinct segment of our population and it is important to realize and address their health and lifestyle problems. Adolescence is characterized by a strong tendency to experiment with risk behaviour. The desire for novelty and the courage for experiment are much greater in adolescence than in later life. Most commonly reported behaviours in this population include such as aggressive behaviour, smoking and drinking alcohol, sexual behaviour, poor eating habits, lack of physical exercise, etc. Adolescent health provides the foundation for adult health status. Life-long patterns of healthy behaviours are established at this time. Unhealthy adolescent behaviours can become long-term risk factors for chronic health conditions in adulthood. The health of adolescent is shaped by: parents and families, peers, school, health care systems, neighbourhoods and communities, faith communities, employers, government. These factors impact young people’s sense of health and well-being by affecting their capacity to withstand life stressors, their ability to transition in developmentally appropriate ways, and their ability to make decisions about healthy behaviours. The study was carried out under the supervision of the National Institute of Public Health, Romania, Regional Center for Public Health Cluj for the year 2012 on a sample of 4691 school-aged children from 40 Romanian counties.

Keywords: adolescence, health risk behaviour, predictive factors, lifestyle

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