Question

A recent survey attempted to address psychosocial factors thought to be of importance in preventive health care for adolescents ("The Adolescent Health Review: A Brief Multidimensional Screening Instrument"' Journal of Adolescent Health [2001]: \(131-139\) ). For each risk area in the following list, construct a question that would be comprehensible to students in grades \(9-12\) and that would provide information about the risk factor. Make your questions multiple-choice, and provide possible responses. a. Lack of exercise b. Poor nutrition c. Emotional distress d. Sexual activity e. Cigarette smoking f. Alcohol use

Short answer

This task can be divided into six steps, each corresponding to a particular risk factor. Craft multiple-choice questions that are comprehensible to high-school students and provide essential information about the associated risk factor. For example, the question for 'Lack of exercise' could be 'How many days per week do you engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity?'.

Step-by-step solution

Crafting questions

Start with the first risk factor: lack of exercise. The question could be: 'How many days per week do you engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity?' with options such as: 'Never', '1-2 days', '3-4 days', '5-6 days', 'Every day'.

Moving on to the next risk factor

For poor nutrition, a suitable question could be: 'How often do you eat fast food?' with options: 'Never', 'Rarely (1-2 times per month)', 'Sometimes (1-2 times per week)', 'Often (3-4 times per week)', 'Always (Almost every day)'.

Addressing Emotional distress

The question can be: 'In the past month, how often have you felt excessively worried or anxious?' with options like 'Never', 'Rarely (Once or twice)', 'Sometimes (Once a week)', 'Frequently (Several times a week)', 'Always (Almost every day)'.

Question on Sexual activity

A suitable question could be: 'Have you ever been sexually active (sexual activity can mean any activity you feel is sexual)?' with 'Yes' or 'No' as options.

Crafting a question for Cigarette smoking

Ask: 'How often do you smoke cigarettes?' with response options: 'I don't smoke', 'Occasionally', '1-5 cigarettes a day', 'Half a pack a day', 'A pack or more a day'.

Formulating question for Alcohol use

The question could be: 'How often do you consume alcoholic beverages?' with options such as: 'I don't drink', 'Rarely (1-2 times per year)', 'Sometimes (1-2 times per month)', 'Often (Weekly)', 'Usually (Several times a week)'.

Key concepts

Health Risk Behaviors in Adolescents

Identifying health risk behaviors in adolescents is critical for preventing long-term health issues. During the teenage years, individuals are at a pivotal point for establishing patterns that can affect their lifelong health.

Common risk behaviors include lack of exercise, which can lead to obesity and cardiovascular problems; poor nutrition, contributing to both immediate and future health complications; and emotional distress which, if not addressed, may manifest in adverse psychological conditions. Other behavior risks such as sexual activity can lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies, while cigarette smoking and alcohol use are associated with numerous negative health outcomes, including addiction and chronic diseases.

To decrease these behaviors, adolescents need to be educated about the risks and provided with strategies to make healthy choices. Schools and parents play key roles in this educational process, and regular screening through surveys is an effective way to monitor and guide these prevention efforts.

Survey Question Design

The design of survey questions particularly for adolescents, is a delicate process that greatly influences the quality and reliability of the data collected. Questions must be clear, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive.

In the exercise, the questions were designed to be multiple-choice, providing a range of defined answers that categorize the frequency or intensity of behaviors. This format simplifies the process both for respondents and for those analyzing the data. However, it is important to note that multiple-choice questions may limit the nuances that could be captured by open-ended questions. To optimize the design of the survey, one might consider including a variety of question types, using non-leading questions, and piloting the survey with a small sample to ensure that questions are interpreted as intended.

Effective questions avoid technical jargon, are specific enough to elicit the desired response, and are cognizant of the respondents' privacy, which is especially crucial in sensitive areas such as sexual activity or substance use.

Statistical Analysis in Education

The use of statistical analysis in educational settings provides significant insights into student behavior, performance, and needs. It facilitates the interpretation of survey data like those collected from health risk behavior questionnaires. Key components include descriptive statistics to summarize the data, such as calculating the average number of days adolescents exercise, and inferential statistics to make predictions or inferences about a larger population from a sample.

It’s essential to consider the sample size and diversity to ensure the data can be generalized to the broader population. Furthermore, correlation and regression analyses could be used to identify relationships between different risk behaviors and health outcomes. The ultimate goal is the creation of effective intervention programs tailored to the statistically identified needs of the adolescent population.