Risk and protective factors approach to middle and high school students’ health behavior in Jordan

Background: The chronic diseases are caused by four behavioral risk factors: unhealthy diet, tobacco use, insufficient physical activity, and harmful use of alcohol. The greatest effects of these risk factors fall increasingly on developing countries and on poorest people within all countries. The middle and high school students’ age period is a transitory stage of life in which not only the risks of engaging in unhealthy behavior and experiencing mental health problems increases, but also this is the time period in which we can help them by strengthening protection through health education. Aim: The purpose of this cross-sectional correlation study is to explore the risk and protective factors that may contribute to health behavior and mental health problems, among Jordanian school students. In addition, this study compares the levels of risk and protective factors, and their predictive value, on tobacco use, physical health, dietary behavior, personal hygiene, depression, satisfaction with life, and self-esteem. Setting and participants: Data was collected from public and private schools in the Irbid governorate, which is located in the north of Jordan and is affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Education. Multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used to recruit students from 8th to 12th grades from both sexes; data was collected by means of a self-administered, online questionnaire. Instruments: Data was collected using socio-demographics, the modified Arabic version of Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) questionnaire; the School Climate Inventory (SCI) contents, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Diener’s Satisfaction with Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC,) and the participants’ characteristics tool. Conclusion: The current study will drag the attention to focus more on the students' health behavior and mental health. The data of this study will ideally help establish effective and efficient counseling, and support intervention programs, that can help in reducing students’ unhealthy behavior, improve their quality of life, and have greater control over their lives