OBJECTIVETo explore possible interrelationships among resistance to peer pressure, risky decision-making and health risk behaviors among young adolescents.

METHODSBased on the cluster sampling method, the participants who were recruited from 5 junior middle schools in Guangzhou and 3 junior middle schools in Shenyang city on October, 2010, were administered to complete the questionnaire concerned with their experiences with drinking and smoking during the past 30 days preceding the survey, and the hours using computer daily both in weekdays and in weekend. The level of resistance to peer influence and risky decision-making were assessed by Resistance to peer influence scale (RPIS) and Youth decision-making questionnaire (YDMQ). Logistic regression was used to explore possible interrelationships among resistance to peer influence, risky decision-making and health risk behaviors among young adolescents.

RESULTSA total of 1985 questionnaires were valid, including 1001(50.4%) boys and 984 (49.6%) girls. About 27.1% (537/1985) junior middle school students reported having health risk behaviors, boys' (30.7%, 307/1001) was higher than girls' (23.4%, 230/984) with significant gender difference (P < 0.05). The prevalence of smoking, drinking during the past 30 days before the survey and using computer over 3 hours daily in weekdays and in weekend were 5.1% (102/1985), 14.3% (284/1985), 3.5% (70/1985) and 13.7% (272/1985), respectively. The rate of drinking, using computer over 3 hours daily in weekdays and in weekend were higher in males (16.4% (164/1001), 4.5% (45/1001), 16.2% (162/1001)) than those in females (12.2% (120/984), 2.5% (25/984), 11.2% (110/984)) (P < 0.05). The scores of RPIS and YDMQ of the two cities adolescents were 2.82 ± 0.39 and 1.68 ± 0.62. The students reported smoking, drinking during the past 30 days before the survey and using computer over 3 hours daily in weekend gained lower RPIS scores (2.43 ± 0.40, 2.61 ± 0.41, 2.77 ± 0.40) than their counterparts who didn't report these kind of health risk behaviors (2.84 ± 0.38, 2.85 ± 0.38, 2.82 ± 0.39)(P < 0.05). And those reported smoking, drinking during the past 30 days before the survey and using computer over 3 hours daily in weekdays and in weekend gained higher YDMQ scores (2.38 ± 0.66, 2.06 ± 0.66, 1.97 ± 0.72, 1.84 ± 0.64, respectively) than their counterparts who didn't report these kind of health risk behaviors (1.64 ± 0.38, 1.61 ± 0.58, 1.67 ± 0.61, 1.65 ± 0.61, respectively) (P < 0.05). After adjusting gender, area, parental education degree, self-reported family economic condition, multi-variant logistic regression analysis indicated that the low and middle level of resistance to peer influence (low and middle level vs high level, had odds ratios of 2.97 (1.96 - 4.50) and 1.51 (1.05 - 2.16)), and also the middle and high level of risky decision-making (middle and high level vs low level, had odds ratios of 1.62 (1.19 - 2.22) and 3.43 (2.39 - 4.90)) were all the risk factors of adolescent health risk behaviors.

CONCLUSIONAdolescents with poor ability of resistance to peer pressure and high risky decision-making were both the risk factors of adolescent health risk behaviors.