Health behaviors of late adolescents in China: Scale development and preliminary validation

Abstract

Health behaviors influence health and well-being, improve quality of life, and provide economic benefits. It is important to take advantage of health-related opportunities during adolescence. Staying healthy during adolescence also promotes the future well-being of individuals and that of the next generation. We aimed to develop a reliable and valid scale based on the General Senior High School Physical Education and Health Curriculum Standards (2017 edition) to evaluate Chinese late adolescents’ health behavior. The scale was to help physical education teachers measure the health behavior level of senior high school students, improve physical education and health teaching, and promote Chinese adolescent health. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from September to October 2019. For the first survey, we recruited 526 senior high school students (318 boys, 208 girls; Mage = 16.5), and the data were subjected to item analysis and exploratory factor analysis. For the second survey, we recruited 542 senior high school students (249 boys, 293 girls; Mage = 15.5), and the data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability analysis. After exploratory factor analysis, we extracted four factors with 23 items: exercise awareness and habits (five items), mastering and applying healthy behavior knowledge (10 items), emotional regulation (four items), and environment adaptation (four items). The Cronbach’s alpha values for these factors ranged from 0.863 to 0.937. After confirmatory factor analysis, we achieved a satisfactory goodness-of-fit model (CMIN/DF = 2.92, RMR = 0.03, GFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.06). Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and construct validity were all satisfactory. These results suggest that the Chinese version of the Health Behavior Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the health behavior of senior high school students. The findings have important implications for increasing adolescents’ health literacy, promoting adolescents’ health, and enhancing the well-being of late adolescents.

The relationship between ostracism and negative risk-taking behavior: the role of ego depletion and physical exercise

“…This is also a time when risky behaviors, such increasing alcohol use and risky sexual activity, are more common and prevalent ( Duell et al, 2018 ; Liang et al, 2022 ). They are less mature than adults in terms of life experience, danger recognition and assessment skills, and self-control ( Liang et al, 2022 ; Qiu et al, 2022 ). These characteristics may encourage college students to engage in negative risk-taking behavior.…”

Effects of Exercise Behavior, Social Cohesion, and Social Support on Health Behaviors in Older Adults: Intervention in a Multi-Component Exercise Program

“…It is the behavioral performance of an individual in a good state in terms of physical, psychological, and social adaptation [8,9]. Many scholars have conducted factor analysis on health behaviors [9][10][11][12], and the comprehensive results can be roughly divided into healthy eating behaviors, health care behaviors, emotional and stress management, physical activity, and changing behaviors that are harmful to health (such as the cessation of smoking and alcohol, gambling cessation) and five other categories. The definition of so-called exercise behavior, in a broad sense, refers to physical exercise performed by skeletal muscles that consume energy, including leisure time, housework, occupational work, etc.…”