Psychosocial Aspect, frequency and intercorrelation of students health risk behaviours

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and intercorrelation of health risk behaviours and their relationship with personal and social factors. The sample consisted of 268 students from the Faculty of Education in Vojvodina. The data was collected by means of the Health Risk Behavior Scale, the inventory "Big Five" and questions about the sources of information and health behaviour models. The most frequent health risk behaviour among students was alcohol consumption. Certain health risk behaviours were rather frequent among boys, younger students and students from urban environments. Students who thought that their family and friends took care of their health did not portray many risk behaviours related to diet. Extraverted students had a greater tendency to use illegal substances and students with low agreeableness were more prone to risky sexual behaviours. Students with low levels of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were less physically active. There is an evident need to monitor health risk behaviours among students and take the appropriate preventive measures.