Quality of life and health-risk behaviors among adolescents

Topolski, Tari D.; Patrick, Donald L.; Edwards, Todd C.; Huebner, Colleen E.; Connell, Frederick A.; Mount, K.Kiomi

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Volume 29, Issue 6 , Pages 426-435, December 2001

Quality of life and health-risk behaviors among adolescents

Tari D. Topolski, Ph.D.
- Address correspondence to: Tari D. Topolski, University of Washington, Department of Health Services, Box 358852, Seattle, Washington 98195-7660 USA
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Donald L. Patrick, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Address requests for Youth Quality of Life Instrument to: Donald L. Patrick, University of Washington, Department of Health Services, Box 358852, Seattle, Washington 98195-7660. Email: donald@u.washington.edu.
Todd C. Edwards, Ph.D.
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Colleen E. Huebner, Ph.D.
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
Frederick A. Connell, M.D.
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
K.Kiomi Mount, M.S.W.
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Accepted 20 June 2001.

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the association between health-risk behaviors and self-perceived quality of life among adolescents

Methods: A sample of 2801 students (957 seventh and eighth graders and 1844 ninth through twelfth graders) completed the Teen Assessment Survey (TAP) and the surveillance module of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument (YQOL-S). TAP responses were used to determine health-risks related to tobacco use, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and high risk sexual behavior. Separate multivariate analyses of variance showed mean differences in contextual and perceptual items of the YQOL-S for each health-risk behavior. Differences among engagers (adolescents who often engage), experimenters (occasionally engage), and abstainers (never engage) in the health-risk behavior were evaluated by gender and junior/senior high school groups.

Results: In general, adolescent abstainers reported higher quality of life (QoL) than engagers and experimenters on YQOL-S items. Adolescents who engaged in multiple risk behaviors scored even lower than those who engaged in only one health-risk behavior. Experimenters tended to rate their QoL more similar to that of abstainers than to that of engagers.

Conclusions: The framework of QoL proved useful in the evaluation of adolescents’ engagement in health-risk behaviors. Additionally, assessing the areas of QoL that differ between the groups may provide information for planning interventions aimed at risk reduction among engagers and experimenters.

Keywords: Risk factors, Adolescence, Risk-taking, Smoking, Drug use, Quality of life, Sexual behavior, Alcohol drinking