Title
Lifestyle and addictive behaviors among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Wuhan, and Zhuhai : a first cross-subculture assessment
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Publication Date
10-2016
Volume
23
Issue
5
First Page
561
Last Page
570
Publisher
Springer New York LLC
Keywords
Adolescence, Chinese culture, Lifestyle behavior, Addictive behavior, Cross-subcultural research, Multilevel modeling
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed at assessing the differences in prevalence rates of common health behavior among adolescents in the five Chinese cities and the influential factors at the contextual and individual levels.
Method
We compared the standardized rates of three lifestyle behaviors (sedentary, dietary, and physical activity) and three addictive behaviors (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and participation in gambling) among a sample of 13,950 adolescents. The sample was randomly selected from five cities, including Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Zhuhai, and Wuhan. Population size, GDP per capita, and literacy at the city level as well as parental monitoring and school performance at the student’s level were assessed. Multi-level mixed effect models were used to examine the interaction of individual level factors with study sites.
Results
The six health behaviors differed significantly across sites with the highest rates of alcohol consumption in Hong Kong (39.5 %), of cigarette smoking in Macau (9.8 %), and of gambling in Taipei (37.1 %) and Hong Kong (35.9 %). The city-level measures were associated with only a few behavioral measures. Relative to Hong Kong, parental monitoring had stronger association with the three addictive behaviors in the other sites.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that although the study sites share similar Chinese culture, students in the five cities differed from each other with regard to levels of health behaviors. Relative to the broad socioeconomic development, differences in parental monitoring played a significant role in explaining the observed difference.
DOI
10.1007/s12529-016-9548-9
Print ISSN
10705503
E-ISSN
15327558
Publisher Statement
Copyright © International Society of Behavioral Medicine 2016. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Chen, X., Lau, M., Kan, M. Y., Chiang, I-C., Hu, Y.-J., Gong, J, ... Ngok, K.-L. (2016). Lifestyle and addictive behaviors among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Wuhan, and Zhuhai: A first cross-subculture assessment. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(5), 561–570. doi: 10.1007/s12529-016-9548-9
