Loneliness and health risk behaviours among Russian and U.S. adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health

Table 1 Characteristics of the study sample

		Russia				U.S.
		Female		Male		Female		Male
Characteristic	Categories	n	%^†	n	%^†	n	%^†	n	%^†
Demographic characteristics
Age (years)	13	150	13.6	127	14.3	611	59.7	550	53.6
	14	462	41.8	399	44.8	357	34.9	381	37.1
	15	493	44.6	364	40.9	56	5.5	95	9.3
Parental education	Low	330	38.0	278	40.4	553	64.8	532	62.4
	High	538	62.0	410	59.6	301	35.2	320	37.6
Family structure	Intact	730	66.4	571	64.3	320	31.3	371	36.2
	Single	266	24.2	221	24.9	405	39.6	373	36.4
	Other	104	9.5	96	10.8	299	29.2	282	27.5
Substance use
Smoking (past 30 days)		315	31.1	296	37.1	106	11.2	64	7.0
Lifetime marijuana use		66	6.2	64	8.1	161	16.6	181	19.3
Lifetime other illicit drug use^§		44	4.1	73	8.7	65	6.6	68	7.1
Alcohol consumption^¶ (past 30 days)		689	64.3	513	61.7	271	27.9	273	29.3
Binge drinking^# (past 30 days)		396	37.3	280	34.7	123	12.8	105	11.4
Sexual behaviour
Lifetime sex		116	11.4	176	23.0	211	22.5	412	48.1
Last sex alcohol or drug use^ǂ	No	106	82.2	134	68.0	211	92.5	421	92.3
	Yes	23	17.8	63	32.0	17	7.5	35	7.7
Last sex condom use^ǂ	No	92	71.9	64	32.8	60	26.8	92	20.6
	Yes	36	28.1	131	67.2	164	73.2	355	79.4
Got someone pregnant/been pregnant		51	4.9	42	5.2	26	2.7	52	5.7
Violence (past year)
Started a fistfight or shoving match		215	20.0	384	45.9	319	32.5	425	44.8
Hurt someone badly in a physical fight		60	5.6	139	16.8	171	17.5	243	25.6
Carried a blade, knife, or gun in school		56	5.2	134	16.1	100	10.3	166	17.7
Personal characteristic (past 30 days)
I felt lonely (certainly true)		153	14.4	75	8.9	146	14.7	64	6.7

^†Percentages are calculated based on the sample with no missing values for that variable. Percentages for last sex alcohol or drug use and last sex condom use are based on those who ever had sex.
^§Illicit drug use includes huffing to get high (glue, aerosols), amphetamines, ecstasy or dust, LSD (Acid) or PCP.
^¶Alcohol consumption was based on the consumption of either beer, wine or hard liquor.
^#Binge drinking referred to drinking at least five drinks of alcohol in a row on at least one day.
^ǂRestricted to those who ever had sex.

ISSN: 1471-2458