Chronic Disease–Related Lifestyle Risk Factors in a Sample of Canadian Adolescents

Received 6 August 2008; accepted 4 November 2008. published online 12 February 2009.

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence, clustering, age trends, and gender differences of chronic-disease related risk factors among a large sample of adolescents (N = 4932) in Alberta, Canada. Approximately 43% of boys and 53% of girls displayed two or more risk factors. Age trends and gender differences were also observed.

Keywords: Adolescents, Lifestyle risk factors, Web-based platform, Clustering of risk behaviors

a Centre for Health Promotion Studies, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

b Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

c Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Address correspondence to: Ronald Plotnikoff, Ph.D., Centre for Health Promotion Studies, School of Public Health, 5-10 University Extension Centre, 8303 112 Street, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2T4.

PII: S1054-139X(08)00664-2

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.11.004

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