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Health Promotion Behaviors in Adolescents: Prevalence and Association with Mental Health Status in a Statewide Sample

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to estimate the proportion of adolescents meeting Healthy People 2020 health behavior recommendations for the prevention of chronic disease and to determine the association between mental health status (depression and/or conduct problems) and the likelihood of meeting these recommendations. The data used for this study are from the 2010 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were utilized to estimate the proportion of adolescents meeting recommendations and associations between youth mental health status indicators and health-promoting behaviors. A small minority (5.8 %) of youth met all six recommendations in domains of tobacco abstinence, substance use abstinence, daily physical activity, breakfast consumption, weight below obese levels, and adequate sleep, though most (84.3 %) met at least three. At the aggregate level, the proportion of Washington State youth who met Healthy People 2020 guidelines exceeded targets, with the exception of substance use abstinence. A minority of youth reported guideline levels of daily physical activity (23.3 %) and sleep (39.8 %). Mental health status was strongly associated with the number of health-promoting behaviors adolescents endorsed. Interventions to increase the adoption of sleep hygiene and exercise habits should be added to an integrative positive youth development framework within school-, community-, and primary care-based adolescent health initiatives. Attention to adolescent mental health and shared risk factors may be critical for reducing barriers to healthy behavior.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Washington State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup for their thoughtful contributions.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest or disclosures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child Health Institute, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, , Box 354920, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Molly Adrian PhD & Elizabeth McCauley PhD

  2. Child Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Box 354920, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Sarah Charlesworth-Attie MPH & Ann Vander Stoep PhD

  3. Decision Support and Evaluation, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Olympia, WA, 98504, USA

    Linda Becker PhD

Authors
  1. Molly Adrian PhD
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  2. Sarah Charlesworth-Attie MPH
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  3. Ann Vander Stoep PhD
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  4. Elizabeth McCauley PhD
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  5. Linda Becker PhD
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Correspondence to Molly Adrian PhD.

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Adrian, M., Charlesworth-Attie, S., Vander Stoep, A. et al. Health Promotion Behaviors in Adolescents: Prevalence and Association with Mental Health Status in a Statewide Sample. J Behav Health Serv Res 41, 140–152 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9370-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9370-y

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