Health-related behaviours of urban school-going adolescents of a Metropolitan City of Eastern India

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is the phase of attaining physical, mental and psychosocial maturity. Adolescents are susceptible to high-risk behaviours which affect both their physical and mental health. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to determine their sociodemographic profile, dietary preferences, physical activity, personal hygiene, substance abuse, interpersonal relationships, academic performance, etc., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken amongst adolescents aged 16 to 19 years in two randomly selected schools. The youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance System questionnaire 2019 was used to find out different domains of adolescent behaviours. Their positive attributes fetched positive scores, whereas unhealthy attributes fetched negative scores. Bad scores (≤median) for each of the domains were computed, and logistic regression was done with sociodemographic and other variables. This was conducted in MS Excel and R 4.2.1. Results: Out of 145 adolescents interviewed, majorities (66.2%) were males, hailed from nuclear families (66.9%) and belonged to average financial status (53.8%). About 68.3% did not have any close friends. Dietary habits (71.0% had improper dietary habits) were worse amongst females (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] [95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58. 1.02–4.31) and amongst those coming from nuclear families (AOR [95% CI] 2.58 [1.57–7.47]). Health-related habit score was unsatisfactory at 28.9%. Substance abuse was noted in 16.6%; the presence of close friends (AOR [95% CI] 7.09 [3.24–26.71]) and either good (AOR [95% CI] 2.16 [1.22–53.39]) or poor (AOR [95% CI] 4.06 [1.54–57.73]) financial condition was the risk factors. Most (62.7%) had average school performance, and the majority wished to study in college. Poor school performance was associated with bad scores in health-related behaviour (AOR [95% CI] 7.43 [3.07–17.44]) and substance abuse (AOR [95% CI] 1.84 [1.02-12.35]). Conclusion: Regular assessment of various health-related risk factors must be done for the better physical and mental health of adolescents.