This study was undertaken to identify changeable factors, which influence adolescents' health- promoting behavior, health risk behavior and juvenile delinquency. In addition, the study developed a model of influencing factors, which can be used to establish health promotion and education programs that will enhance health-promoting behavior and reduce the health risk behavior and delinquency of adolescents.

The questionnaires were administered to high school students (N=890) in Seoul, Korea. The survey items categorized through factor analysis were standardized to resolve the differences in scales. The findings were used to develop a model through structural equation model utilizing LISREL.

Health-promoting behavior was positively related to health behavior self-efficacy (gamma= .698), health interest of parents (gamma= .144), and social support (gamma= .111). Health risk behavior and juvenile delinquency were more prominent with lower self-control (gamma= -.300), lower health behavior self-efficacy (gamma= -.174), and self-assertiveness (gamma= -.113). For males, self-control is the most important factor to reduce health risk behaviors and delinquency whereas health behavior self-efficacy is a crucial factor to prevent these behaviors for females.

  In conclusion, enhancing self-control, self-assertiveness, and health behavior self-efficacy may reduce health risk behavior and delinquency. According to the final model, decreasing health risk behavior may contribute to the prevention of juvenile delinquency because behaviors such as smoking and drinking have a tendency to develop into more problematic ones and progress to juvenile delinquency. Adolescents should be taught skills including self-control, self-assertiveness, and health behavior self-efficacy to prevent health risk behavior and juvenile delinquency.