Risky Behaviors of University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to identify certain risky behavior patterns (unsafe sex, tobacco and drug use, and binge drinking) and the factors affecting these behaviors among first- and third-year students in a university. Method: The study included a total of 8407 students enrolled as first- (4392) and third- (4015) year students. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. In data analysis, respecting sampling weights, models were formed by logistic regression method to determine factors that affect the risky behaviors. Results: 731 male–1114 female students from the first year and 560 male–1096 female students from the third year were interviewed. Male students were found to be engaged in risky behaviors more frequently than females. Logistic models of the study indicated that gender, place of residence, relationship with parents, and socialization with friends have profound effects on risky behaviors. Conclusion: After leaving home, young people develop their own lifestyles, and this study demonstrates that lifestyle is the main effective factor for risky behaviors in this group. Universities need to assume more responsibility to guide students’ lives and to provide the facilities and opportunities that encourage and facilitate their adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Key Words: University students, risky behaviours Bir üniversitede rencilerin Riskli Davran lar : Kesitsel Bir al ma Ama : Bu al man n amac , bir üniversitenin birinci ve ü üncü s n f rencileri aras nda baz riskli davran modellerini (güvensiz seks, tütün ve uyu turucu kullan m ve a r alkol) ve bu davran lar etkileyen fakt rleri saptamakt r. Y ntem: Ara t rman n evrenini birinci (4392) ve ü üncü (4015) s n flarda kay tl 8407 renci olu turmaktad r. Veri rencilerin g zlem alt nda doldurduklar anket arac l ile toplanm t r. Riskli davran lar etkileyen fakt rleri belirlemek i in lojistik regresyon y ntemi modellemesi kullan lm t r. Bütün istatistiksel analizlerde a rl kl yüzdeler dikkate al nm ve kullan lm t r. Bulgular: al mada birinci s n flardan 731 erkek–1114 kad n ve ü üncü s n flardan 560 erkek–1096 kad n renci yer alm t r. Ara t rmada erkek rencilerin kad nlara g re daha fazla riskli davran larda bulundu u saptanm t r. al ma verilerinin lojistik regresyon modellemesinde cinsiyet, aile ile ili kiler, arkada lar ile sosyalle me ve ya am ko ullar ile rencilerin riskli davran lar ile anlaml düzeyde ili kili oldu u saptanm t r. Sonu : Evden ayr ld ktan sonra, gen insanlar kendi ya am tarzlar n geli tirmektedir. Bu a