URBAN SMALL-AREA VARIATION IN ADOLESCENTS HEALTH BEHAVIOR

Our previous study indicated that region plays a relatively small role in adolescents' health behaviour. Here, the regional patterning of he alth behaviour is studied further by shifting the focus to small areas . First, we lest whether small area socioeconomic, demographic and hou sing characteristics correlate with health behaviour. The analysis the n turns to the relationship between these characteristics and their in dividual level correlates. We wish to ascertain if behaviour is relate d to small area characteristics similarly for both genders and for ado lescents' socioeconomic characteristics. The Adolescent Health and Lif estyle Survey data from 1989-1995 (16- and 18-year-olds, n = 1048, res ponse rate 71%) were linked with data describing 33 subareas of Helsin ki, the capital of Finland. Smoking, alcohol use, abstention from diet ary fat and physical activity were used as lifestyle indicators. Gende r apparently influences the extent to which the area plays a role. Log istic regression demonstrated that prolonged unemployment predicted lo w prevalence of abstention from dietary fat (traditional dietary patte rns) among girls and heavy drinking among boys. High total rate of une mployment predicted lower physical activity among girls. Also owner-oc cupied housing correlated positively with girls' physical activity. Al though the individual level socioeconomic characteristics were not as strongly related to health behaviour as the small area factors, a low level of education predicted smoking and alcohol use and, among girls, decreased physical activity. We conclude that small area characterist ics, especially the level of unemployment of the area, may be even mor e strongly related to health behaviour than individual socioeconomic c haracteristics. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.