Physical and Recreational Activities, Sedentary Screen Time, Time Spent with Parents and Drug Use in Adolescents

Abstract

In a context in which sedentary screen time is on the rise and adolescents are less eager to engage in free-time activities, physical and recreational activities, although too often ignored, have proven to be an antidote for a large array of psychological and behavioral problems in adolescents, including drug use. The present study is a cross-sectional investigation of the association between physical and recreational activities, sedentary screen time, and time spent with parents and the intensity of drug use in adolescents. The participants were part of a representative sample of 2677 adolescents from Bucharest, Romania. The results indicate that vigorous physical and recreational activities, as well as time spent with parents, were negatively associated with an index of drug use (13 drugs), while screen time positively predicted the intensity of drug use. These findings raise the question of the involvement of parents and educational authorities in promoting healthy behaviors and good practices for the prevention of drug use and improving public adolescents’ health.

Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile Ii: A Transition Model Among Future Social Sciences Experts in Romania

“…The autonomy component is lacking due to the low level of relevant content available on the market. This emphasizes the need for clear policies supporting education related to the healthy lifestyle components that apply to future social sciences experts [28].…”