Health-risky behaviors and the related factors among juveniles in Licheng District of Putian City, Fujian Province

Objective The present study was conducted to know the prevalence of health-risky behaviors among adolescents in Licheng District of Putian City, Fujian Province for providing bases for the formulation of preventive interventions. Methods cluster stratified sampling was used to select 3623 students in 14 schools of 6 types, including one college, one technical secondary school, six senior high schools and six junior high schools) for investigating their health-risky behaviors as well as the related factors f.or 1 year. Results The total injury report rate was 43.43% with a significantly higher injury rate among boys than among girls.( 2=29.365, P=0.000). As for injuries, students in ordinary junior high schools were the high-risk populations. Carrying person when riding was the most frequent risk behavior with an injury rate of 42.6%. Clinging to other vehicles when riding was ranked as the second most frequent cause of injury with a incidence rate of 8.9%. There was a significant difference in the rate between genders. As for unhealthy lifestyles, the rate of smoking and drinking was 28.0% and 61.7% respectively. Conclusion Teenagers are likely to be engaged in many kinds of risk behaviors causing injuries. Effective measures should be taken based on the characteristics of health- risky behaviors among teenagers to reduce the incidence of injuries.