Health behaviors and health risk behaviors of Prince of Songkla University students
Abstract
The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe health and health risk behavior in students in Prince of Songkla University. The subjects were 380 undergraduate students, chosen by convenience sampling, registered in a family relations course. Data were collected using a questionnaire with questions selected from a CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey from subjects who had attended a sexual and health problems session.
The results showed that 61.8 percent of the students had normal body mass index, 42.1 percent planned to lose body weight, 42.4 percent perceived their health was good, and 2.9 percent perceived their health was poor. Their healthy behaviors were that they drank fruit juice (67.4%), ate vegetables (97.4%), and drank milk (84.2%). Their risky behaviors were not exercising regularly (29.2%), smoking (22.6%), drinking alcohol (61.3%), substance abuse (1.6%), not wearing a helmet when riding on a motorcycle (86.3) or when driving a motorcycle (2.9%), riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (21.6%), and driving a motorcycle or a car after drinking alcohol (14.7%). Eleven point six percent had had sexual intercourse. Their sexual risk behaviors were not using a condom (4.7%), having sexual intercourse after drinking alcohol (2.4%), and not using any method to prevent infection or pregnancy (0.8%). Two point one percent had been subjected to sexual abuse and 1.8 percent had experienced physical abuse. The findings of this study should be beneficial in health promotion for students in university.
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