Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116497

Wen-chi Wu and Lee-lan Yen. Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Room 1522, 15F, No. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Sec. 1, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., Taipei, Taiwan, 886-2-23123456#8361, wuvirsan@ms17.hinet.net

The purposes of this study were to understand the distributions and latent structures of research subjects' health risk behaviors in a three-year period, and to identify the multi-facet factors (i.e. personal, familial, school, and community) related to the long-term change of research subjects' health risk behaviors. Secondary data analysis was conducted by using the three waves' data of Child & Adolescent Behaviors in Long-term Evolution (CABLE) project from 2001. A total of 112 classes and 1812 fourth-grade students in northern Taiwan were selected. Factor analysis and multilevel analysis were used to analyze the longitudinal data. It was found that there are three types of health risk behaviors: unhealthy behaviors, aggressive behaviors, and substance using behaviors. The subtotal scores of these three types of health risk behaviors varied among classes and increase over time. The variables relate to the change of health risk behaviors during the three-year period include student's sex, the change of relationship with his teacher, parent's marriage status and occupational level, the change of parent's support, family activities, and the extent of punishment, school principal's sex and school size, and residential area. According to the result, target populations of designing intervention projects on prevention should include students, parents and teachers, and different types of childhood health risk behaviors should be taken into consideration respectively. For parents, more and constant interactions with children are essential. Schools should develop a way to strengthen students' school attachment.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Recognize that the students’ health risk behaviors increased in a three-year period.
• 2.Describe health risk behaviors of students affected by multi-facet factors, including personal, familial, school, and community factors.
• 3.Develop an intervention projects on prevention of students’ health risk behavior should consider the longitudinal effects of multi-facet factors.

Keywords: Students, Health Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.