The co-morbidity of violence-related behaviors with health-risk behaviors in a population of high school students.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the frequency of violence-related behaviors and their association with other health behaviors among high school students.


METHODS
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to all ninth and eleventh graders (n = 2075) of a school district in Texas. It provided information regarding violence-related behaviors and other health behaviors. Students were classified into four mutually exclusive, violence-related categories according to whether they were involved in a physical fight and/or carried a weapon.


RESULTS
Overall, 20% of the students were involved in a physical fight but had not carried a weapon, 10% carried a weapon but had not been involved in a physical fight, and 17% had been involved in a physical fight and had carried a weapon. Prevalence of weapon-carrying and fighting were higher among males than females, and among ninth graders than eleventh graders. Among males, 48% had carried a weapon the month prior to the survey. Students who both fought and carried a weapon were 19 times more likely to drink alcohol six or more days than students who did not fight nor carried a weapon. Logistic regression analyses showed that drinking alcohol, number of sexual partners, and being in ninth grade were predictors of fighting. These three variables plus having a low self-perception of academic performance and suicidal thoughts were predictors of fighting and carrying a weapon.


CONCLUSIONS
The data indicate that violence-related behaviors are frequent among high school students and that they are positively associated with certain health behaviors. Interventions designed to reduce violence should also address coexisting health-risk behaviors and target high-risk groups.
Orpinas
P K
PK
School of Public Health, University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center 77225, USA.
Basen-Engquist
K
K
Grunbaum
J A
JA
Parcel
G S
GS
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*