Jamaican Youth Risk and Resiliency Behaviour Survey 2006: Community-Based Survey on Risk and Resiliency Behaviours of 15-19 Year Olds

Author(s): Wilks R, Younger N, McFarlane S, Francis D, Van Den Broeck J

Year: 2007

Abstract:

Objectives of the Jamaica youth risk and resiliency behavior survey were to: describe lifestyle and behavior patterns (exercise, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption) by demographic and socio-economic characteristics; determine and document the context of adolescent reproductive and sexual health, including the magnitude, determinants and consequences for adolescents’ lives; determine the association between resiliency and markers of abnormal mental health on risk-taking behaviors, including involvement in violence; obtain anthropometric measurements, fasting glucose levels and cholesterol levels in youth and relate these to chronic disease risks; and identify the sources of information influencing adolescents’ health and health seeking behavior. The survey was a collaborative effort of the University of the West Indies at Mona, the Jamaican Ministry of Health, and U.S. Agency for International Development, with technical assistance from the MEASURE Evaluation project. Information was gathered from 1,318 participants (599 males and 721 females) island-wide who were representative of the 15–19 year old population stratum. Data analysis was weighted to yield population parameter estimates.