Adolescent Lifestyle in India: Prevalence of Risk and Promotive Factors of Health

Abstract

The present study investigated the prevalence of lifestyle related concerns among school adolescents. The data were collected from 1,500 Indian school students enrolled in sixth to eleventh grades drawn from rural, urban, and metro settings. They completed an anonymous Adolescent Lifestyle Survey. The study documents the multiple concerns related to inappropriate dietary practices (fast food consumption, cold drinks, low fruit and vegetable intake), irregular sleeping habits, less religiosity, mild activity pattern, unhealthy daily routine and pursuance of different forms of risk behaviours. The study also showed an association of life style with several contextual variables (i.e., residential context, developmental stage and gender). The results suggest need for urgent attention to deal with the emerging concerns of risks and promoting factors of health through relevant policy-oriented reformulation, coordinated efforts among stakeholders, and initiating culturally appropriate lifestyle interventions among adolescents.