Objective:
To understand the association between childhood abuse experience and health risk behaviors among college students, providing references for childhood abuse and health risk behavior prevention.
Methods:
During Mar. to Apr. of 2016, 918 college students from 2 universities in Nanchong city were selected through cluster sampling, the survey included general demographic characteristics, childhood abuse experiences and health risk behaviors. Chi square test was used for univariate analysis, and Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis.
Results:
A total of 720(78.43%) of participants reported at least one type of health risk behaviors, overeating was the most common type[595(64.81%)]. The number of adolescent reporting smoking, drinking 5 or more beers at a time, fighting and suicidal ideation was 146(15.90%), 271(29.52%), 224(24.40%), 205( 22.33 %), respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that a significant positive association between experiencing at least one kind of childhood abuse and the behaviors of fighting, suicidal ideation, and overeating; between childhood emotional neglect with smoking and suicidal ideation; between childhood emotional abuse with fighting, suicidal ideation, and overeating; and between childhood sexual abuse with smoking( P <0.05).
Conclusion
Health risk behavior in college students is popular. Childhood abuse can increase the risk of health risk behaviors of college students.