[Perceived stress in general public during prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome and its impact on health behavior].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the perceived stress in general public during prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and its impact on health behavior. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Taiyuan according to the epidemic situations of SARS, and 2532 subjects were randomly selected from constructive industry, school, and commercial business and residents in urban and rural areas. The perceive stress was measured by Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS), and health related behavior during SARS was tested by uniform and self-made questionnaire. EpiData 2.0 was used for data management and CPSS value was calculated according to answer to 14 questions contained in the scale. Health risk stress among different population group and health related behavior among low, medium and high stress state were analyzed by SPSS 11.5. RESULTS: 2424 subjects were involved in the survey. The CPSS value was measured from 0 - 49 (22.7 +/- 6.8), M = 24.0. 39.3% (953/2379) subjects were under the health risk stress. The health related behaviors such as washing hands, opening the window for air, keeping away from others when cough and sneeze, doing exercises etc were reduced with the stress increased. Logistic regression indicated that compared with the persons with the thoughts of nothing serious of SARS, without any dread of SARS, and knowing nothing about prevention of SARS, the perceived stress was significantly related with perceiving of the thread to certain extent (beta = 0.41, Wald chi(2) = 4.84, P = 0.03), worrying little about the epidemic (beta = 0.50, Wald chi(2) = 6.69, P = 0.01), worrying about it to certain extent (beta = 1.39, Wald chi(2) = 48.59, P = 0.00) and scared so much (beta = 1.77, Wald chi(2) = 53.59, P = 0.00), and knowing little about the prevention (beta = 0.74, Wald chi(2) = 4.48, P = 0.03), knowing something about prevention (beta = -0.98, Wald chi(2) = 8.29, P = 0.00) and knowing the prevention very well (beta = -1.18, Wald chi(2) = 10.66, P = 0.00). CONCLUSION: The adoption of health related behaviors declined with increase of perceived stress. Opening connection to authority and government, enhancing the awareness of outburst affairs among general public and providing positive social support may be effective ways to reduce the population perceived stress.

[The change of health related behavior during and after severe acute respiratory syndrome prevalence].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the changes of health related behavior and influencing factor during and after the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), as to providing evidence for inducing public health related behavior to cope with the emergent infectious public health hazards. METHODS: According to the epidemic strength of SARS, Guangzhou, Taiyuan, Hangzhou were selected to be the research areas, and convenience sampling was used to identify 200 city residents, 200 country residents and 400 occupational populations from each area. The uniform and self-made questionnaire was carried out by about 2400 residents. RESULTS: All 2424 subjects completed the questionnaire. The correlation coefficient of scores of health related behavior during and after SARS was 0.782 (P < 0.01). And 39.3% subjects were considered as under the health risked stress by CPSS. Multiple linear regression indicated that the scores of health related behavior were significantly related to the perceived stress, demographic characteristics and recognition of SARS. CONCLUSIONS: The public health related behavior should be developing in the SARS, and part of health related behavior had been kept after SARS and part been decreased. Behavior change should depends on the prevalence of the disease, cultural heritage and behavior variability. More attention should be paid to induce the public psychology and behavior and enhance the degree of recognition on related knowledge through health education as to relieving the stress in populations when we conduct to cope with the emergent public health hazards.

[Study on the relationship between smoking behavior and other unhealthy behaviors among middle school students in 4 cities of China].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the situation of smoking behavior among the students of middle school in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumchi and to analyze the relationship between smoking behavior and several unhealthy behaviors together with psychological troubles to provide evidence in developing an early intervention plan. METHODS: The National Health Education Institute (NHEI) of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided relevant data on all middle schools in the 4 cities and then U.S. CDC randomly sampled 100 common middle schools from them with a special sampling process. The core questionnaire developed by the experts from WHO and other countries was used in the survey among 9015 sampled students. RESULTS: Among all the sampled students, 29.4% of them had ever attempted cigarettes smoking while 6.6% of them tried tobacco in the 30 days before survey, 27.0% of the students with smoking behavior began smoking at the age of 9 or younger, 31.8% had learned how to refuse smoking from school education. The students with smoking behavior were more likely to drink alcohol, use drugs, bully others, be injured, miss classes, and have some psychological troubles than those without smoking behavior. CONCLUSION: There were increasing trends noticed on the incidence of attempt and smoking cigarettes. Smoking was closely related to other unhealthy behaviors and psychological troubles. Comprehensive education activities on "no-smoking" should be implemented as early as possible among adolescents, as well as to promote training on life skills.

[Alcohol consumption and drug use among middle school students aged 13-15 in 4 cities of China].

OBJECTIVE: To provide data on alcohol consumption and drug use among middle-school students aged 13-15 in 4 cities of China, and to provide evidence for developing intervention strategies on adolescents alcohol and drug use. METHODS: Standardized sample selection process of two-stage cluster-sampling was used in middle-school students in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumchi. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in Sept. 2003 and data was analyzed by Epi Info software. RESULTS: Among 7344 students from grade 1 to 3, 36.5% had tasted while 14.4% had drunk alcohol in the past 30 days. 9.9% had experienced drunkness, 5.1% had been in trouble because of drinking, and 1.6% had ever used illegal drugs. Significant differences had been found in all the cities. Higher graders, older students and boys had higher rates of alcohol and addictive drug use than low graders, younger students and girls. 51.9% had been taught on take alcohol safety and another 27.6% on skills of rejecting alcohol, during the past school year. CONCLUSIONS: The current situation of alcohol and addictive drug use among Chinese middle-school students aged 13-15 seemed to be quite critical, suggesting that it is necessary to carry out relevant health education in accordance with different characteristics in area, gender and age of the students.

[Study on health related behaviors and its protective factors of junior middle school students in 4 cities of China].

OBJECTIVE: To provide accurate data on health related behaviors and protective factors among students in middle schools in China, for developing priorities, programs and policies on health education. METHODS: We used a standard scientific sample selection process developed by American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct the questionnaire survey among middle schools from four cities--Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumchi. RESULTS: Data were found as: 3.2% of students are overweight; 25.3% of students rarely washing hands before eating at school, 20.5% of the students had seriously injured in the past 12 months, 30.4% of male students having had physical fighting, 17.1% of the students having serious attempted suicide, 29.7% of the students ever tried or experimented cigarette smoking, 13.0% having drunk from alcohol and 14.5% having been offered or selling drugs during the past 30 days, 78.9% were in an insufficient amount of physical activity and only 14.3% often used seat belt when riding in a car. CONCLUSIONS: There were many problems on health related behaviors among middle school students in these four cities, especially on hygiene, physical activities, psychological situation, smoking and drinking etc. It is absolutely necessary to develop health education for children and adolescence to promote their healthy behaviors and lifestyle.