Health habits and behaviour of adolescent schoolchildren, Taif, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to provide data regarding habits, behavior, problems and needs regarding health in adolescent children from a military community at Al Hada and Taif, Saudi Arabia which could guide school health programmes. We carried out a cross-sectional study on 284 preparatory and secondary school students. Prevalence of smoking was 21.3% among males and 4.9% among females. The rate of overweight was 20.8%. Driving without a license was reported by 68.8% of students, and 82.3% said they didn't fasten seat belts. However, we recorded a high rate of physical activity, 75.0% overall