Comparison of Adolescent Health-Related Behavior in Different Family Structures

• Published in: The Journal of Nursing Research Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: 陳美燕(Mei-Yen Chen), 蕭雅竹(Ya-Chu Shiao), 高月梅(Yueh-Mei Gau)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 台灣 台灣護理學會 01.03.2007; 臺灣護理學會; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Child; Educational Status; Family Characteristics; family structure; Female; Health Behavior; health promoting behavior; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Male; MEDLINE; parental education; Regression Analysis; SCIE; Scopus; Sex Factors; SSCI; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan; TSCI; TSSCI; 健康促進行為; 家庭結構; 父母教育程度; 青少年; Taiwan; 健康促進行為; 家庭結構; family structure; 青少年; 父母教育程度; parental education; adolescent; health promoting behavior
• ISSN: 1682-3141
• DOI: 10.1097/01.JNR.0000387594.86790.fa

This study aimed to explore the relationship between the family structures in which adolescents lived and their health-related behavior. This study, applying a cross-sectional descriptive design, investigated the hypothesis that family structure and level of parent education are strongly associated with health-related behavior in adolescents. Study subjects consisted of sixth to eighth graders drawn from six schools in Taipei and Kaohsiung between September 2002 and March 2003. Five hundred and forty-six youths, with a mean age of 13 years, participated in this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student’s t test, and one-way ANOVA. Multiple stepwise regression was used to determine relationships between health promotion scores and family structure, parent level of education, gender and other variables. Results indicated that, when potentially confounding factors were controlled, adolescents living with both parents have healthier behavior than those living with a single parent. In addition, when potentially confounding factors were controlled, adolescents residing with both parents with relatively high educational levels only achieved higher healthy behavior scores in the dimensions of health responsibility, nutrition, and exercise. Further, adolescent females had substantially higher health-related behavior scores than their male peers in all dimensions, with the exception of “exercise behavior”. Findings support the hypothesis that family structure and female gender are significant variables affecting adolescent health-related behavior. Research results are useful in developing intervention strategies to assist adolescents in single parent families.
本研究主要目的在探討來自不同家庭結構的青少年其健康相關行為的差異。研究方 法採用橫斷式研究設計。研究樣本包括六所來自台北與高雄地區6−8 年級的青少年。 研究期間為2002 年9 月至2003 年3 月，總共有546 位、年齡平均13 歲的青少年參 與本研究。資料分析包括描述性統計、t-test、ANOVA 及逐步複迴歸分析。結果顯 示與父母親一起居住者，在複迴歸分析中，當其他變項同時被考慮之下，其整體的 健康行為及六個次量表得分仍然顯著的高於與單親父母居住的青少年。同時，當其 他可能的干擾因素被排除後，除了健康責任、營養行為和運動行為之外，父母親的 教育程度對其子女整體的健康行為的影響就降低了。此外，除了運動行為外，女孩 在多項的健康行為方面也比男孩佳。本研究結果支持研究假設，即家庭結構會影響 青少年的健康行為；本研究結果將有助於未來護理人員在協助單親家庭中的青少年， 幫助他們採行健康行為措施時的依據