title: Oral and general health behaviours among Chinese urban adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to measure the association of general and oral health-related behaviours with living conditions and to explore the interrelationships between general and oral health-related behaviours in Chinese urban adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of 2662 adolescents was conducted in eight Chinese provincial capitals. The response rate was 92%. The study population was selected through multistage cluster sampling and comprised three age groups: 11, 13 and 15 years. Data on oral and general health, lifestyles as well as living conditions were collected by means of self-administered structured questionnaires. Several additive indices were constructed from answers to the questions on specific behaviour, and participants were categorized according to scores on each component of health-related behaviour for statistical analyses by frequency distributions, regression analyses and factor analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral health-related behaviours among adolescents were associated with socioeconomic status of parents, school performance and peer relationships. The odds of a dental visit was 0.63 in adolescents of poorly educated parents and the corresponding figure for regular oral hygiene practices was 0.62. Odds of tobacco use was 3 for adolescents with poor performance in school while odds of consuming sugary foods/drinks was 1.3. Adolescents with high levels of preventive oral health practices also demonstrated general health-promoting behaviours. In factor analysis of general and oral health-related behaviours, three factors were isolated: (a) risk behaviours (loadings 0.48-0.66), (b) health-promoting behaviours (loadings 0.60-0.64) and (c) help-seeking behaviours (loadings 0.56-0.67).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings support a multidimensional model of health behaviour. Several approaches and multiple methods should be applied in oral health education in order to modify behaviours that affect oral health.
authors.affiliation: Global Oral Health Programme, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. petersenpe@who.int
authors.forename: Poul Erik
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Bao Jun
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: Zhuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bian
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009909:Oral Health; D010379:Peer Group; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population