A Study on Jeju High School Students' Health Perception and Health Promotion Behavior

제주지역 고등학생의 건강지각과 건강증진 행위에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data necessary for creating a more successful health enhancement program, health education and health policy which can enhance health management abilities and enable a healthy school life by examining relations between high school students' health perception, who are in early adolescence, and their health promotion behavior. The subjects in this study were 813 students from 8 high schools on Jeju Island. The collected data were analyzed with t-test and one-way ANOVA through questionnaires by researcher on the basis of advance research. The findings of this study were as belows : 1. When general characteristics were considered, health perception was more significantly affected by those who were boys, whose family income was on a higher level, who scored better in school, whose parents were more concerned about their children's health, and who had experiences of being hospitalized. Especially, the more parents were concerned about their children's health, the higher the child's self-confidence on health(p<.05), anxiety on health(p<.05), practicality on disease prevention(p<.05), self-confidence on future health(p<.01), health care ability(p<.01), and family roles on health(p<.05). The less parents were concerned about their children's health, the higher the child's anxiety on disease(p<.01) and uncertainty on future health(p<.01). 2. When students' health promotion behavior was concerned, in the area of Eating Habits, having regular meals(72.9%), moderate consumption of meat(89.7%) and a balanced diet(64%) were common, whereas having a regular breakfast(37.4%) and eating vegetables and fruits(43.6%) were rare. In the area of Exercise, all subareas such as exercising 3 or 4 times a week(76.7%), more than one hour of exercise at a time(74.9%), a short distance walk(51.8%), exercise within one hour after meals(87%), and whether wanning up or not(88.6%) were above average. In the area of Personal Hygiene, all subareas such as drinking boiled water(57.3%), washing hands after using the bathroom(71%), brushing teeth after eating(42.4%), washing up after going out(50.3%), and washing hair and taking a frequent bath(77.2%) were rare. In the area of Control of Personal Relations, consulting personal problems with family(78.7%) had a positive response, whereas meeting someone new(59.8%), maintaining sound relations with the opposite sex(47.3%), having respect for one's opinion(51.5%), and maintaining peaceful relations with people(58.4%) had rare negative results. In the area of Stress Management, not being competitive(69.4%), releasing problems(62.4%) and sleeping soundly(66.2%) were common, whereas having your own ways to relieve stress(46.8%) and having your own dreams and hopes(58.5%) were rare. 3. When general characteristics were considered, as far as relations of health promotion behavior were concerned, the boys were significantly different in the area of Eating Habits(p<0.01) and Exercise(p<0.01), and the girls were in the area of Personal Hygiene. As family economic status was high and parents were concerned about their children's health, the entire areas of health promotion behavior were significantly different. Whether or not they were hospitalized made no significant difference in statistics. 4. When their regions were considered, it comparing city to town, there was no statistically significant difference in health perception and relations of health promotion behavior according to general characteristics. As seen in the results above, high school students' level of health perception and level of practicing health promotion behavior were generally low. In conclusion, by enhancing health perception, a plan for activating health education, which can implement positive health promotion behavior, should be made.