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Urbanisation and adolescent risk behaviour
1Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town.
Objective:
To investigate whether there is an association between the length of time lived in an urban area and selected adolescent risk behaviours.
Design:
Cross-sectional survey in which students completed an anonymous, confidential questionnaire.
Setting:
Four high schools in black communities in the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
Participants:
A sample of 1,296 students obtained by multistage cluster sampling.
Main Outcome Measures:
Selected risk behaviours.
Results:
There is a relationship between urbanisation and certain risk behaviours. The following risk behaviours were associated with urbanisation: use in the previous month of alcohol, cannabis, and cannabis mixed with Mandrax; being a victim of violence; perpetration of an act of violence; and suicidality. Conversely, participation in sexual intercourse and solvent sniffing in the previous month were not associated with urbanisation.
Conclusion:
Urbanisation is associated with an increase in the prevalence rates of some risk behaviours. Mental health promotion efforts may be informed by further research aimed at the identification of: (i) the characteristics of risk behaviour that determine whether it is associated with urbanisation; and (ii) where applicable, the specific aspects of the urbanisation process that contribute to an increase in risk.