Health-Risk Behaviours and Injuries among Youth and Young Adults in Chiang Mai, Thailand: A Population-Based Survey.

Apichai Wattanapisit,Wichuda Jiraporncharoen,Chaisiri Angkurawaranon,Surin Jiraniramai,Kanokporn Pinyopornpanish,Kanittha Thaikla

doi:10.3390/ijerph17103696

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of health-risk behaviours (alcohol use, tobacco smoking and gambling) and the associations between health-risk behaviours and injuries among youth (15–24 years) and young adults (25–39 years). A multi-stage cluster sampling survey was conducted in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The associations between health-risk behaviours and injuries were analysed using logistic regression and adjusted for potential confounders. Sample weights were applied in all analyses. Six-hundred-and-thirty participants were included. Fifty-three percent of males and 12.3% of females drank in the past three months. Smoking in the past three months was higher among males (38.5%) than females (0.7%). About a quarter of men and a fifth of the women had gambled in the past year. A total of 6.4% of males and 4.8% of females sought medical attention in the past year due to injuries. Compared to those without any of the three health-risk behaviours, the odds ratio for injuries requiring medical attention was 3.81 (95% CI: 1.33 to 10.90, p = 0.013) for those with two health-risk behaviours and 13.8 (95% CI: 4.24 to 45.10, p < 0.001) for those with all three health-risk behaviours. Injury prevention policies may need to incorporate interventions designed to assess multiple health-risk behaviours.

Highlights

In 2017, injuries and violence caused more than 4.4 million deaths globally, an increase of 2.3%from 2007 [1]
Health 2020, 17, x; doi: www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph the ratio injuries requiring medical attention was 3.81 for those with two health-risk behaviours
We found that young adults were more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and gamble than youths

Summary

Introduction

In 2017, injuries and violence caused more than 4.4 million deaths globally, an increase of 2.3%from 2007 [1]. In 2017, injuries and violence caused more than 4.4 million deaths globally, an increase of 2.3%. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, unintentional injuries accounted for approximately 1.8 million deaths, followed by self-harm and interpersonal violence (1.3 million deaths) and transport injuries (1.3 million deaths) [1]. Injuries contributed to 57.7 million years lived with disability [2]. In Thailand, a study published in 2012 estimated that one-fifth of Thai adults had at least one injury in the past 12 months [3]. 673,000 years lived with disability and more than ten thousand deaths each year in Thailand [4,5]. 60% of injury mortality was attributed to non-transport injuries [6]

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Methods

Discussion

Conclusion