A gender perspective in the study of adolescents’ risk behaviours

Adolescence is an important stage to achieve healthy lifestyles. However, at European level, adolescents show daily risk behaviors for their health. Due to the associated implications, this study explores risk behaviours for health (alcohol consumption, tobacco and other drugs, harmful eating, sedentary lifestyle and risk sexuality), as well as the analysis of those variables that could facilitate them (attitudes, beliefs and motivations) among adolescents who are from Comunidad Valenciana. For this purpose, 300 adolescents between 15 and 18 years old filled the Questionnaire of Information, Attitudes and Behaviours related to Health-3 in their educational centres. Results show a greater prevalence of risk behaviours among these adolescents compare with the European mean; they only show better results than European mean for physical activity. There are not differences based on gender for doing risk behaviours, although boys and girls differ significantly in beliefs, attitudes and motivations to do them. Therefore, there is a need to focus on prevention of substance consume, harmful eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and risk sexual behaviour, considering particular characteristics of boys and girls. All of this, in order to improve their well-being and quality of life in a short and medium term