METHODS: A nationwide data set was examined for this secondary data analysis. The dependent variable was the degree of risk, which was measured based on the number of high-risk behaviours in which adolescents participated. Age, gender, ethnicity, self-rated academic performance, family size, parental marital status and parental academic attainment were included as independent variables. Analyses stratified by educational level were conducted. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using ordered logit.
RESULTS: The most common high-risk behaviour among Malaysian adolescents was physical inactivity (35.97%), followed by smoking (13.27%) and alcohol consumption (4.45%). The majority of adolescents had low risks (52.93%), while only a small proportion had high risks (6.08%). Older age was associated with increased odds of having high risks (OR: 1.26). Male adolescents had higher odds of being in a high-risk category compared to female adolescents (OR: 1.28). Compared to Malays, Chinese adolescents had higher odds of being in a high-risk category (OR: 1.71), whereas Indian adolescents had lower odds (OR: 0.65). Excellent academic performance was associated with reduced odds of participating in high-risk behaviours (OR: 0.41).
CONCLUSION: Personal factors are important determinants of high-risk behaviours. This study provides a better understanding of those adolescent groups that are at greater risk.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: An intervention directed towards reducing participation in high-risk behaviours among adolescents who have both poor academic performance and less-educated parents may yield promising outcomes.
METHODS: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional study, the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB) study, which was conducted from May to September 2013 across 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. A two-stage proportionate-to-size sampling method was employed to select a total of 3578 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years from 20 selected schools in urban and rural settlements, respectively. The MyAHRB study adopted a set of self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Global School-based Student's Health Survey (GSHS) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance.
RESULTS: The results from the analysis of 2991 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years showed that 16 (in boys) and 15 (in girls) out of 32 combinations of lifestyle risk behaviours clustered. Girls (aOR 2.82, 95% CI: 2.32-3.43) were significantly more likely to have clustered risk behaviours than boys; however, no significant associated factors were observed among girls. In contrast, boys of Malay descent (aOR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.89) or boys who had at least three friends (aOR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99) were less likely to engage in multiple risk behaviours.
CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the clustering of multiple risk behaviours that occurred in both genders; these results suggest that multiple behaviour intervention programmes, instead of programmes based on siloed approaches, should be advocated and targeted to the high-risk sub-populations identified in the present study.
Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme on transmission and prevention of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among adolescent girls.
Methods: An evaluative research approach was adopted, in which a preexperimental, one group pre- and post-test research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the structured teaching programme on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS among adolescent girls studying at Lowry Memorial High School, Bengaluru. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were presented in frequency tables and statistical graphs (bar charts) and analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistical methods (Chi-square and paired "t"-tests) using SPSS version 21.
Results: The findings of the study revealed that the mean percentage difference in the pre- and post-test knowledge scores was statistically significant at 5% level (P < 0.05). The overall mean post-test knowledge score of adolescent girls on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS was 88.83%. It is apparently higher compared to the pretest knowledge score, which was 67.67% with enhancement of 21.16%. This implies that the structured teaching programme was effective in gaining knowledge of adolescent girls regarding transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that structured teaching programme enhanced the knowledge of the adolescent girls on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. We, therefore, recommend that structured teaching programmes on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS should be encouraged among adolescents and youths to reduce the spread of HIV infection.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study among 570 YMSM aged 18 to 25 years old, latent class analysis (LCA) conducted to identify classes with similar patterns of sexualized substance use, across which measures of inconsistent condom use, recent STI diagnoses, past suicide ideation and depression severity were compared.
RESULTS: LCA revealed three classes of YMSM based on types of substances ever used in sexualized contexts, which we labelled as 'substance-naive', 'substance-novice', and 'chemsex'. Substance-naive participants (n = 404) had only ever used alcohol, while substance-novice participants (n = 143) were primarily amyl nitrite users with a small proportion who reported using chemsex-related drugs. Chemsex participants (n = 23) comprised individuals who had mostly used such drugs. Those in the chemsex group were more likely to report recent unprotected anal sex with casual partners (aPR = 3.28, 95%CI [1.85, 5.79]), depression severity (aβ = 3.69, 95%CI [0.87, 6.51]) and a history of suicide ideation (aPR = 1.64, 95%CI [1.33, 2.03]).
CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study highlight how the use of varying substances in sexualized contexts may be classified and characterized by different sexual and mental health outcomes. Health promotion efforts should be differentiated accordingly to address the risks associated with sexualized substance use among YMSM.