Maharaj RG, Nunes P, Renwick S. Health risk behaviours among adolescents in the English-speaking Caribbean: a review.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2009;
3:10. [PMID:
19292922 PMCID:
PMC2667478 DOI:
10.1186/1753-2000-3-10]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2008] [Accepted: 03/17/2009] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The aim of this paper was to review and summarize research on prevalence of health risk behaviours, their outcomes as well as risk and protective factors among adolescents in the English-speaking Caribbean.
METHODS
Searching of online databases and the World Wide Web as well as hand searching of the West Indian Medical Journal were conducted. Papers on research done on adolescents aged 10 - 19 years old and published during the period 1980 - 2005 were included.
RESULTS
Ninety-five relevant papers were located. Five papers were published in the 1980s, 47 in the 1990s, and from 2000-2005, 43 papers. Health risk behaviours and outcomes were divided into seven themes. Prevalence data obtained for these, included lifetime prevalence of substance use: cigarettes-24% and marijuana-17%; high risk sexual behaviour: initiation of sexual activity
CONCLUSION
There is a substantial body of literature on Caribbean adolescents documenting prevalence and correlates of health risk behaviours. Future research should emphasize the designing and testing of interventions to alleviate this burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan G Maharaj
- Unit of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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- Paula Nunes
- Unit of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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- Shamin Renwick
- Medical Sciences Library, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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