Health-Risk Behaviors among High-School Students in Southern Thailand
Nisan Sam-angsri MSc*, Sawitri Assanangkornchai MD, PhD**, Uraiwan Pattanasattayawong MA*, Anocha Muekthong BA*
Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand ** Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Objective : Determine the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among high-school students in southern Thailand.
Material and Method: 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.
Conclusion : 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.
Keywords : Health-risk behaviors, Student, Prevalence
