Health risk behaviors and associated risk and protective factors among Brazilian adolescents in Santos, Brazil

Objective: To describe the prevalence of health risk behaviors and identify risk and protective factors that are associated with several health risk b ehaviors (cigarette smoking, drug use, onset of sexual intercourse before a ge 15, pregnancy, gun-carrying, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts) am ong adolescents in Brazil, as well as to explore gender differences. Methods: We estimated prevalence rates, evaluated bivariate associations, a nd explored multivariate analyses using logistic regression on data from a 1997 survey of adolescent health among 2059 eighth- and 10(th)-grade studen ts in Santos, Brazil. Results: Youth in Santos, Brazil report high rates of gun-carrying, suicida l thoughts and attempts, sexual intercourse, and pregnancy. Factors associa ted with diminished involvement for nearly all health risk behaviors, for b oth boys and girls, included having good family relationships, and feeling liked by friends and teachers. Factors associated with increases in nearly all health risk behaviors were: gun-carrying and gun availability in the ho me, drug use, and sexual abuse. Conclusions: Factors that are associated with a wide range of health risk b ehaviors among adolescents in Brazil appear to parallel those found in indu strialized countries: access to guns, substance use, and sexual abuse. Like wise, connectedness to family, school, and peers is consistently the protec tive factor associated with diminished risky behaviors. (C) Society for Ado lescent Medicine, 2001.