Socio-economic differences in health risk behaviour and attitudes towards health risk behaviour among Slovak adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
Socio-economic differences in the frequency of smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, physical exercise, and attitudes toward smoking were explored in a sample of Slovak adolescents (1,370 boys, 1,246 girls, mean age 15 years).


METHODS
Identification of socio-economic status was based on three indicators: the highest educational level of parents, the highest occupational class of parents, and the type of school the adolescents attended.


RESULTS
Health risk behaviour was strongly related to socio-economic status based on all three socio-economic indicators, although there were some exceptions mostly related to education as indicator of socio-economic status and to alcohol consumption experience and drug use experience. The pattern of socio-economic differences was unfavourable for lower socio-economic groups of adolescents, except for differences in frequency of alcohol consumption among females when highest education of parents was used as an indicator of socio-economic status.


CONCLUSIONS
There are socio-economic differences in health risk behaviour. Lower socio-economic groups of adolescents behave risky more frequently than higher socio-economic groups of adolescents.
Geckova
Andrea
A
Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, PJ Safarik University, Kosice. geckova@kosice.upjs.sk
van Dijk
Jitse P
JP
Groothoff
Johan W
JW
Post
Doeke
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004493:Education; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse; D009790:Occupations; D010290:Parents; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D018154:Slovakia; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires