Risky behaviour in older school children

Abstract

The aim of the study is to introduce selected characteristics of risky behaviour associated with addictive substances within all urban primary schools in the regional capital České Budějovice in order to capture the development of these pathologies in the population of older school children. The research was carried out as a quantitative survey designed as a descriptive and comparative study. The data (N=1172) were obtained using a mass-administered questionnaire for all the pupils of the 6th and the 9th grades of primary schools in České Budějovice run by the municipality. The study focuses on the consumption of alcohol, nicotine, illegal drugs, energy drinks, medical drugs (especially analgesics), and the impact of a risky environment – risky behaviour in the family and visits to night parties and discos by the teenagers. The survey describes the current status of this subpopulation and the development within the sixth and ninth-grade pupils. It also compares the results with nationwide studies, and tests the relationships between risky behaviour and leisure activities. It was found that the described group as a whole showed a lower level of risky behaviour than in the comparative study conducted within the South Bohemian Region and the whole of the Czech Republic. Within the sub-variables, a growing trend was found in the use of analgesics and energy drinks by age. The results also show the relationship between substance abuse and leisure activities (especially discos) and higher smoking prevalence, as well as between the time spent on a computer and the consumption of energy drinks.