Health-enhancing Behaviors among High School Students in Turkey

Problem Statement: A body of research has documented the positive consequences of health-enhancing behaviors. Studies in western countries showed that participation in health enhancing behaviors declines in the period of adolescence. The aim of the study was to examine the involvement in health-enhancing behaviors among adolescents in Izmir, Turkey. In this study interrelations among the health-enhancing behaviors and whether the adolescents' healthy behaviors differed significantly in their gender were also investigated

Method: A total of 1237 adolescents (666 girls, 571 boys) randomly selected from high schools in Izmir were surveyed. The Health-Enhancing Behavior Index (HEBI) was used to identify the healthy behaviors.

Results: Turkish adolescents showed a low prevalence of healthy diet, exercise, and a high prevalence of sedentary behaviors. In addition, the findings revealed that adolescents' health-enhancing behaviors were statistically correlated with each other's, and involvement in health-enhancing behaviors differed by gender.

Conclusions: These results may be useful in developing targeted health education programs in Turkey.