Risky Health Behaviors among Teaching Institutes Students in Tikrit

R. Sarhat, Ashoor; A. Salman, Abid; K. Sabih, Hind

	Risky Health Behaviors among Teaching Institutes Students in Tikrit
Medical Journal of Tikrit
Article 1, Volume 18, Issue 182, 2012, Pages 282-286
Authors
Ashoor R. Sarhat; Abid A. Salman; Hind K. Sabih
Abstract
Schools are considered as one of the sources of health education and information to the students and to the whole community. Teaching institutes are considered as the foundation that builds the teachers who will build the coming generations. So it is necessary to study the presence of Risky Health Behaviors among Students of Teaching Institutions in Tikrit City. In Iraq, no available data or previous studies about health risk behaviors and protective factors among adolescents have been executed. This is a pioneer study in this time and field. This study was done to provide data concerning knowledge, attitude and practices of risky health behaviors & protective factors among Students of Teaching Institutes in Tikrit. A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out on simple randomly selected (231) students, in Tikrit from 20/11/2006-20/3/2007 by using a modified questionnaire according to Iraqi circumstances for male and female teaching institutes in Tikrit city. A sample of 231 secondary school students was studied, of which 69.5% were 16 years and older. Nineteen percent (19.48%) of students were from families displaced due to sectarian causes. It is found that 125 (54%) of the students were of urban residence. It is also found that none of the students in the female institute were smokers, nor tried alcohol and drugs, but that a significant number of students in the male institute did (28.6%, 11.4%, 2.9%, and 12.4% respectively). The study concluded that risky health behaviors are prevalent among teaching institutions students in Tikrit.

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