@article{ref1,
title="An assessment of health risk behaviors among first college students at a private university in Barranquilla (Colombia)",
journal="Salud Uninorte",
year="2008",
author="Palacio, L.M.A. and Pérez, M.Á. and Alcalá, G. and Gálvez, A.L. and Consuegra, A.",
volume="24",
number="2",
pages="235-247",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To investigate the health knowledge and behaviors of first year college students attending a private university in Colombia. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study had a sample population of 540 students randomly selected from 2500 eligible students in the population. Data were collected using a modified version of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 13. <br><br>FINDINGS. The average age in the sample was 18 years of age, 52.7% of the sample population were women, 13.5% were considered overweight and 2.6% were obese. 20% of the sample walks more than 10 minutes per day, and an additional 20% walks less than 30 minutes on a daily basis. Forty three percent listens to music as a stress management technique. Over two thirds of the study participants have consumed alcohol at least once in their lifestyle, 35.2% have smoked, 56% use some form of contraceptive methods, and 51.1% reported being sexually active. Only 1.1% of study participantsreported an STI, 4.3% had considered suicide in the last year, and 65,2% had actually tried to commit suicide. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Risk behaviors are prevalent among first year collage students making important to design strategies designed to ameliorate their influence in the health status of adolescents.<p /><p>Language: es</p>",
language="es",
issn="0120-5552",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}