Since there is no certainty about when the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown will be affected by health risk behaviors, so we investigate the effect of COVID-19-related health risk behavior changes using school-based self-reported data from a nationally representative South Korean adolescent population. We analyzed web-based self-reported data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 111,878 participants (57,069 in COVID-19 prepandemic); 54,809 in during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study included 12 to 18-year-olds. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess socioeconomic status, health risk behaviors, and psychological factors. Health risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption, substance use, and sexual experience significantly decreased in COVID-19 pandemic than in COVID-19 prepandemic. Psychosomatic changes such as stress levels, violence experience, depression, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans, and suicide attempts were significantly lower in COVID-19 pandemic compared to COVID-19 prepandemic (P < .001). After adjusting for multiple confounding variables, less alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.88-0.93), less exercise (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89-0.94), less sexual experience (OR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.77-0.86), less violence experience (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.55-0.67), less stress (OR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.84-0.88), less depression (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.83-0.88), less suicidal ideation (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.89-0.97), plans (OR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.76-0.88), attempts (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.71-0.85) were significantly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic compared to COVID-19 prepandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in health risk behaviors among Korean adolescents, resulting in alcohol drinking, sexual experience, drug use, violence experience, and suicidal behaviors (idea, plan, and attempts) being decreased during the lockdown period.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between bullying victimization and health risk behaviors in adolescents.
METHODS: A representative sample of 1020 adolescents participated in the study. The variables such as bullying, health risk behaviors (tobacco, drugs, alcohol, sedentary behavior, smartphone use, level of physical activity, and sleep), and economic status were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were obtained using binary logistic regression and ordinal, gross, and adjusted logistic regression (p<0.05).
RESULTS: Victims of bullying were more likely to smoke (OR 1.75; 95%CI 1.28-2.40), consume alcohol (OR1.43; 95%CI 1.05-1.94), have worse sleep quality (OR 1.94; 95%CI 1.28-2.91), and more sedentary behavior (OR 1.43; 95%CI 1.08-1.89) than those who were not bullied. However, victims were more likely to have high levels of physical activity than their non-bullied peers (OR 1.66; 95%CI 1.22-2.27).
CONCLUSIONS: Bullying victimization was associated with an increased predisposition for the adoption of health risk behaviors. Interestingly, victims were also more prone to participate in physical activity.

UNASSIGNED: To explore population-level trends in health behaviours and wellbeing indicators from before (2017-2019) to during (2020-2022) the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
UNASSIGNED: Using cross-sectional data from New South Wales Adult Population Health Surveys (2017-2022, n = 73,680 responses), we calculated weighted prevalence estimates and interrupted time-series logit models to investigate trends in health behavioural risk factors (vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, alcohol consumption, smoking, e-cigarette use), Body Mass Index (BMI) (overweight and obesity), and wellbeing indicators (psychological distress, self-rated health) among adults aged ≥ 16 years before and during the pandemic.
UNASSIGNED: From 2017 to 2022, the behavioural risk factors and BMI trends were mostly unchanged. Similarly, wellbeing indicator trends showed only minor variations according to age. The interrupted time-series models found marked changes from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic for e-cigarette use and self-rated health. E-cigarette use showed an overall increasing trend, with significant increases from 2017 to 2022 (OR 8.25, 95 %CI 6.10-11.16). Poor self-rated health showed a stable trend before COVID-19, but decreased in 2020 (OR 0.68, 95 %CI 0.58-0.80) and 2021 (OR 0.70, 95 %CI 0.60-0.81), returning to pre-COVID levels in 2022 (OR 1.23, 95 %CI 1.07-1.41). During the pandemic (2020-2022), there were few statistically significant observed changes in prevalence trends according to SES indicators.
UNASSIGNED: Among Australian adults, relatively small population-level impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviours and wellbeing trends were observed. Continued surveillance and sub-group analyses are essential for investigating potential time-lagged effects and regional or sociodemographic differences in health behaviours and wellbeing.

UNASSIGNED: The study\'s main objectives were to evaluate the distribution of levels of procrastination and its relationship with sleep quality, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and skipping breakfast, as a proxy measure of an unhealthy dietary pattern, among Italian university students.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the \"Magna Græcia\" University of Catanzaro in the Southern part of Italy, using stratified random sampling techniques. Eligible students were sent an anonymous online survey aimed at assessing sociodemographic characteristics, procrastination levels using the Pure Procrastination Scale, sleep quality using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, smoking status, alcohol consumption using WHO\'s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tool, and breakfast habits.
UNASSIGNED: The study included 518 participants with a mean age of 23 year. More than half of the sample was enrolled in medicine or life science majors and the procrastination mean score was 15 (±5.9 SD). Being procrastinators was significantly more frequently among students who were poor sleepers, hazardous alcohol consumers and breakfast skippers. When analyzing the clustering of risky behaviors, it was found that as the number of risky behaviors increased, the procrastination score exhibited an exponential increase.
UNASSIGNED: The study findings showed that university students who engage in procrastination tend to adopt risky health behaviors. The data gathered could be useful to derive targeted interventions aimed at groups more exposed to harmful health behaviors and to encourage institutional policies to promote healthy lifestyles within universities. Universities can act as hubs for cultivating a culture of well-being and promoting a healthy environment.

Previous studies have identified racial-ethnic disparities in modifiable risk factors for cancers. However, the impact of US nativity on these risks is understudied. Hence, we assessed the association between US nativity and length of time in the US on modifiable cancer risk factors. Utilizing the 2010 and 2015 National Health Interview Survey datasets, we analyzed 8,861 US-born and non-US-born adults. Key variables included age, sex, race-ethnicity, education, income, diet, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Statistical methods included descriptive statistics and regression. Most respondents were US-born (n = 7,370), followed by long-term (≥15 years, n = 928), and recent (<15 years, n = 563) immigrants. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was higher among US-born individuals (342.45 minutes/week), compared to recent (249.74 minutes/week) and long-term immigrants (255.19 minutes/week). Recent immigrants consumed more fruits (1.37 cups/day) and long-term immigrants more vegetables (1.78 cups/day) than US-born individuals. Multivariate analyses found recent immigrants had lower odds of consuming alcohol (AOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.21-0.50) and smoking (AOR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.19-0.46), and higher odds of meeting fruit consumption guidelines (AOR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.76-4.45) compared to US-born individuals. Long-term immigrants had lower odds of alcohol consumption (AOR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37-0.84) and smoking (AOR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.30-0.59), and higher odds for meeting fruit (AOR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.22-2.86) and fiber (AOR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.02-4.05) consumption guidelines. Our findings illustrate the importance of considering the impact nativity and length of US residency has on health. Our findings underscore the need for culturally tailored public health strategies.

This cross-sectional study used data from Brazil\'s National Student Health Survey (PeNSE), from 2015 and 2019, to compare consumption of tobacco products among adolescent students in Brazil and identify associated factors. The study variables were current cigarette smoking, use of other tobacco products and use of any tobacco product. Pearson\'s Chi-square test was used to ascertain associations between the variables; bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression. Cigarette smoking remained stable between 2015 (6.6%) and 2019 (6.8%), but use of any tobacco product increased (from 10.6% in 2015 to 14.8% in 2019), involving particularly hookahs (7.8%) and e-cigarettes (2.8%). Cigarette smoking was greater among adolescents aged 16 and 17, whose skin colour was black or brown, who missed classes without permission, who reported having no friends, displayed other risk factors, such as drinking alcoholic beverages, or who were passive smokers. The prevalence of smoking has increased over the years and is associated with sociodemographic aspects and other health risk behaviour, highlighting the need for lifelong health promotion actions.
O estudo objetiva comparar o consumo de diferentes produtos do tabaco entre os escolares adolescentes no Brasil em 2015 e 2019 e identificar os fatores associados ao seu uso. Estudo transversal com dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE) de 2015 e 2019. Variáveis: uso atual de cigarro, uso de outros produtos do tabaco e uso de qualquer produto do tabaco. Foi usado o teste do Qui-quadrado de Pearson para verificar associação entre as variáveis, realizada análise bivariada e a multivariada por meio da regressão logística. O uso de cigarros se manteve estável entre 2015 (6,6%) e 2019 (6,8%). Mas houve aumento do uso de qualquer produto do tabaco (de 10,6% em 2015 para 14,8% em 2019), sendo o narguilé o mais frequente (7,8%) seguido do cigarro eletrônico (2,8%). O uso de cigarro foi mais elevado entre os adolescentes de 16 e 17 anos, com cor da pele preta e parda, que faltaram as aulas sem autorização, entre aqueles que relataram não ter amigos, que apresentavam outros fatores de risco como consumir bebidas alcoólicas e que eram fumantes passivos. A prevalência de tabagismo aumentou ao longo dos anos e foi associada com aspectos sociodemográficos e a outros comportamentos de risco à saúde, o que alerta para a necessidade de ações de promoção da saúde ao longo do ciclo de vida.

OBJECTIVE: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may increase rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) through risk compensation (eg, an increase in condomless sex or number of partners); however, longitudinal studies exploring the time-dependent nature of PrEP uptake and bacterial STIs are limited. We used marginal structural models to estimate the effect of PrEP uptake on STI incidence.
METHODS: We analyzed data from the iCruise study, an online longitudinal study of 535 Ontarian GBM from July 2017 to April 2018, to estimate the effects of PrEP uptake on incidence of self-reported bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) collected with 12 weekly diaries. The incidence rate was calculated as the number of infections per 100 person-months, with evaluation of the STIs overall and individually. We used marginal structural models to account for time-varying confounding and quantitative bias analysis to evaluate the sensitivity of estimates to nondifferential outcome misclassification.
RESULTS: Participating GBM were followed up for a total of 1,623.5 person-months. Overall, 70 participants (13.1%) took PrEP during the study period. Relative to no uptake, PrEP uptake was associated with an increased incidence rate of gonorrhea (incidence rate ratio = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.67-9.58), but not of chlamydia or syphilis, and not of any bacterial STI overall. Accounting for misclassification, the median incidence rate ratio for gonorrhea was 2.36 (95% simulation interval, 1.08-5.06).
CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increased incidence rate of gonorrhea associated with PrEP uptake among Ontarian GBM that was robust to misclassification. Although our findings support current guidelines for integrating gonorrhea screening with PrEP services, additional research should consider the long-term impact of PrEP among this population.

UNASSIGNED: There is limited research on how fatalism influences risky health behaviors that are linked to higher cancer risks. This study investigates the relationship between risky health behaviors (tobacco smoking, electronic cigarette use, and heavy alcohol drinking) and fatalistic cancer beliefs while controlling for health care-related self-efficacy and sociodemographic and clinical factors among adults without a history of cancer.
UNASSIGNED: We used cross-sectional data from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5 Cycle 4. The study sample included noninstitutionalized adults (aged ≥18 years without a self-reported cancer history (n = 2464). The outcome variable was risky health behaviors comprised of tobacco smoking, electronic cigarette use, and heavy alcohol drinking. We combined these 3 risky behaviors into a binary variable (0, not having risky health behavior; 1, having ≥1 risky health behavior). The key independent variable was cancer fatalistic beliefs. We used descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, 50% of the sample were women, 64.7% of participants self-identified as non-Hispanic White, 16.4% as Hispanic, and 10.6% as non-Hispanic Black. About 43% of participants reported having at least one risky health behavior. While holding all other factors constant, each unit increase in cancer fatalism score was associated with 30.0% higher odds of increased risky health behaviors (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.62, P = .021) among adults without a history of cancer.
UNASSIGNED: By understanding the relationship between cancer-related fatalistic beliefs and risky health behaviors, cancer prevention outreach programs can be personalized to suit the unique needs of specific individuals and communities.

OBJECTIVE: Health education programmes that utilizes multicomponent classroom teaching strategies have the potential to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and actions of adolescents concerning health risk behaviors (HRBs). This study assessed the effect of a school-based context-specific health education intervention (CsHEI) on knowledge of HRBs among in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Nigeria.
METHODS: In-school adolescents were recruited into this quasi-experimental study using stratified random sampling from secondary schools in Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria. Knowledge of HRBs was assessed pre- and post-implementation of a CsHEI. The intervention was a four-week instructor-led health education class on HRBs, delivered over a 2-h class activity per week. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics as well as Inferential statistics.
RESULTS: With a mean age of 14.9 ± 1.56 years, a total of 145 females (54.3 %) and 122 males (45.7 %) participated in this study. Over 70 % of the participants had good knowledge of HRBs prior to the intervention with the pre-test mean general knowledge of HRB (t=-3.13, p=0.002) and knowledge of personal safety (t=-2.99, p=0.003) being significantly lower between students in public-schools compared to their private-school counterparts. Post-intervention, a significant improvement in participants\' knowledge was observed in all HRB domains with over 90 % of participants having a good knowledge of HRBs.
CONCLUSIONS: The CsHEI improved knowledge of in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Osun state, Nigeria in all domains of HRBs. Integrating the CsHEI with other health behavioral change strategies can mitigate prevalence of HRBs among adolescents, thereby improving health-outcomes and well-being of adolescents.

BACKGROUND: There are no trend studies on various health risk behaviours among adolescents in Uruguay. Therefore, this study looked at trends in a number of health-risky behaviours among adolescents in Uruguay from three separate surveys.
METHODS: Data from 9272 adolescents (age range: 11-16 years), who took part in three cross-sectional national in-school surveys in Uruguay in 2006, 2012 and 2019 were analysed. A self-administered survey was used to evaluate 24 health risk behaviours. By using logistic regression analyses to treat the study year as a categorical variable and adjusting food insecurity and age, linear trends were examined.
RESULTS: We found a significant increase in the prevalence of being overweight, having obesity, inadequate fruit intake, sedentary behaviour in leisure-time, physical inactivity, bullying victimisation, loneliness, suicidal ideation, and sexual activity. We found a significant decrease in current cigarette use, physical fighting and current alcohol use. Among males, a significant increase of non-condom use, and a decrease in current other tobacco use (other than cigarettes), being physically attacked and the number of sexual partners. Among females, we found an increase in food insecurity, trouble from alcohol use, multiple sexual partners, and sleep problems.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, from 2006 to 2019, there was a decrease in seven health risk behaviours among boys and/or girls. Among boys, there was an increase in 10 health risk behaviours and among girls, 15 health risk behaviours increased, highlighting adolescent girls\' greater vulnerability, thereby perpetuating further gendered health inequalities. In Uruguay, school health programmes for adolescents are recommended.