Association of perceived stress and self-control with health-promoting behaviors in adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Health-related habits acquired during adolescence are strongly related to health problems and behaviors in adulthood. Understanding the health-promoting behaviors of adolescents might help in efforts to encourage them to form lifelong healthy habits, which in turn would have wide-ranging benefits for their quality of life. This study was conducted to examine the associations of perceived stress and self-control with health-promoting behaviors in adolescents. The participants were 292 adolescents (136 boys, 156 girls) ages 15 to 18 years who were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that middle school students, higher economic status, subjective health status, and self-control were significant influencing factors of health promoting-behaviors. The total explanatory power of these associations was 23.9%. This finding suggests that schools and communities should take an interest in adolescents’ health-promoting behaviors and develop proactive programs that promote the practice of these behaviors.