Health-risk behaviors among high-school students in southern Thailand.
OBJECTIVE
Determine the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among high-school students in southern Thailand.


METHODS
A sample of 11,135 students from grade seven, nine, and eleven, and the second year students at vocational schools in southern Thailand were surveyed in 2005 using a self-completed questionnaire.


RESULTS
There was a high prevalence (more than 70%) of traffic problems. The authors found that 7.6% of the students carried a weapon and 14.0% used physical violence. Diet pills were taken without doctor's advice by 2.3% of respondents. Relating to sexual practices, 7.0% of all students admitted to having had sexual intercourse. Among these students, 13.7% reported that neither party had used birth control during this encounter and 13.9% had been pregnant or made someone pregnant. Thirteen point four percent had felt depressed and 4.6% had attempted suicide during the last year. The prevalence of lifetime compared with past 30 day use, respectively, was 16.1% and 8.2% for smoking, 27.7% and 15.5% for drinking alcohol, and 6.9% and 3.8% for using at least one illicit substance. A higher prevalence of risk behaviors were found among the second year students at vocational schools.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings suggest that High School Administrators should pay greater attention to health-risk behavior especially for vocational school students, when considering health promotion programs in their schools.
Sam-angsri
Nisan
N
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand. nisan.s@psu.ac.th
Assanangkornchai
Sawitri
S
Pattanasattayawong
Uraiwan
U
Muekthong
Anocha
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data