J Korean Community Nurs.  2001 Sep;12(2):459-467.

Health Promotion Behaviors and Related Psychosocial variables among High School Students in Seoul

• Lee TW
• Shin SM

Abstract

Although much has been written about the health status of adolescents, little is known about adolescents perception of their own health, family support and risk behaviors. The purpose of this study is to describe the perceived health status, family support and risk behaviors in urban high school students in Korea, and to examine the relationships between those variables. Design for the study is descriptive-correlational. The sample consisted of 600 10th-grade students who were randomly selected from 12 urban high schools located in Seoul. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, perceived health status, family support, and health risk behaviors such as tobacco use, alcohol use, eating habits, exercise, stress and coping skills. Preliminary findings of the study were as follows. In terms of perceived health status, 54.2% of the students reported that they are healthy. Students with higher socioeconomic status perceived themselves healthier than the students with lower socioeconomic status (p<.05). Overall, frequently reported health concerns were eating habits (17.2%), depression (4.8%), tobacco use(0.8%), and alcohol use (0.7%). The mean score of family support of the students was 7.67 (SD=2.43) within the range of 1-12. Gender was significantly associated with a higher level of family support among girls than boys. Data will be further analyzed in detail. The results will suggest that health promotion program should consider involving adolescents in planning, both (1) to ensure congruence of the plan of care with adolescentsconcerns and (2) to clarify the interpretation and meaning of their health risk behaviors.

MeSH Terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Depression
Eating
Family Health
Female
Health Promotion*
Humans
Korea
Risk-Taking
Seoul
Social Class
Tobacco
Tobacco Use