A study published in Preventive Medicine (2020) reported that investment in interventions and environments that effectively prevent multiple risk behaviour is likely to improve a range of health outcomes in young adults.
A total of 5591 young people enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children provided data on at least one of seven adverse outcomes at age ~18 years, including examining the rates of depression, anxiety, problem gambling, getting into trouble with the police, harmful drinking, obesity and not in education, employment or training at age 18 years.
The study reported strong associations between multiple risk behaviours and all seven adverse outcomes.
The strength of this association was such that the odds of a young person who engaged in one risk behaviour at age 16 was 1.24 times more likely to suffer from depression by age 18, while two risk behaviours would increase the odds of depression to 1.53 and for four risk behaviors to 2.36 times.
The authors concluded that supporting interventions and environments that effectively prevent adolescent multiple risk behaviours would improve health and social outcomes in adulthood.
Evidence-based programs that integrate substance use prevention with the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours including physical activity, nutrition, sleep and stress control hold significantly potential to impact multiple risk behaviours and thereby improve the health and social outcomes for youth and young adults.
Read the study article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7378566/