Students' intention and school programs as predictors toward health-risk behaviors

Abstract

This study assessed the predictors toward students' intention on health. This study also investigated the predictors toward reported students' health-risk behaviors. The Predictors of Students' Intention Being male or a non-SDA student tended to increase intention to engage in health-risk behaviors and increase intention to exercise and eat vegetables and fruits. Students staying with guardians tended to have higher intention to engage in drug use (cigarettes, alcohol, and illegaI drugs). Higher grade students had stronger intention to engage in iIlegal drugs and sex related behavior. The longer the students studied in the schools, the more their intention towards sex related behaviors decreased. Classes (Bible, science, social science, PE) tended to decrease student intention to engage in health-risk behaviors. Chapel programs tended to increase student intention to engage in exercise and to avoid alcohol. Pathfinder programs increased student intention toward exercising and eating breakfast, whiLe PTA only increased intention toward drinking water. The Predictors of Health-Risk Behaviors Demographic variables. Being a male student made it more likeIy to get involved in using cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. They were more likely to exercise, drink water, be absent due to feeling unsafe, and were more likery to get involved in fights than females. Being a non-SDA student increased the likelihood of getting involved in using cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, eating snacks, and drinking less soft drinks than SDA students. Higher grade students more likely had initiated the use of alcohol later than lower grade students. Furthermore, they exercised less than lower grade students. Students staying with their father more likely had initiated using cigarettes and iIIegaI drugs later than students staying with both parents. Students staying alone tended to use drugs more often than those staying with both parents. School programs. Chapel programs tended to influence students to drink water, to eat snacks, to prevent absences due to feeling unsafe, and avoid getting invorved in sex rerated behaviors. Pathfinder programs tended to increase smoking and eating snacks. classes did not show any effect on students' health-risk behaviors. Intention. The more positive the students, attitude, the less they were involved in drinking alcohol and sex related behaviors. The more positive the students, attitude the more regular they ate breakfast and ate five servings of vegetables and fruits, and drank seven to eight glasses of water per day. However, they drank more soft drinks. The subjective norm tended to help students stay away from smoking, violence, using drugs, and sex related behavior. They tended to exercise more perceived behavioral control tended to decrease snacking, and increase exercising and drinking soft drinks.