Health behaviors in high school students in İzmir, Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of the self reported health behaviors and differences in these behaviors by gender and grades in high school adolescents in İzmir, Turkey.


METHODS
A stratified cluster sampling procedure was used for this cross-sectional study. The study sample included 2 296 students attending 22 high schools in Izmir. As a data collection instrument, some questions from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children Study 2009/2010 questionnnaire and questions which were developed by the researchers to understand behaviors of internet use in adolescents were used. Chi-square tests and Cramer's V statistics were used for statistical analyses.


RESULTS
Among the high school students, 33.8% experimented smoking, 26.3% smoked cigarette during the 30 days before the survey, 14.9% smoked cigarette regularly during the 30 days before the survey, 54.1% experimented drinking alcohol, 38.4% drunk alcohol during the 30 days before the survey, 31.6% got drunk, 10.9% were adequately physically active, 59.9% watched TV for a long period of time, 72.8% used internet for a long period of time, 48.1% ate breakfast regularly, 36.2% ate adequate amount of fruit, 14.1% ate adequate amount of vegetable, 31.3% ate candies and chocolate very often, 18% drunk soft drink very often, 30.3% were bullied, 29.9% bullied others and 41% involved in a physical fight.


CONCLUSIONS
These results showed that "Adolescent friendly health services" should be generalized all over Turkey, physicians should evaluate each adolescent for his/her health behaviors in each visit and implementation of prevention programs which adopt a health promotion perspective is necessary begining from the elementary school.
Department of Public Health, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Sabanur
S
Çavdar
Department of Public Health, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Esin Çetinkaya
EÇ
Sümer
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Kayı
K
Eliaçık
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Aslıhan
A
Arslan
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Begüm
B
Koyun
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Nurhan
N
Korkmaz
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ali
A
Kanık
Clinic of Pediatrics, İzmir Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ethem
E
Erginöz
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Health, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Oya
O
Ercan
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Health, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
Müjgan
M
Alikaşifoğlu
Alcohol; adolescent; eating behaviors; health behavior; leisure time activities; tobacco; violence