Risk-taking Behavior in Adolescents: The Paradigma

The majority of adolescents emerge from the second decade of life relatively unscathed by serious social, psychological, or physical disability. I4 Risk behaviors are largely responsible for the negative health outcomes among the remaining significant minority of adolescents. The primary immediate threats to adolescent health are preventable behaviors such as substance use, dangerous vehicle use, and sexual behavior. Unhealthy eating behaviors have generally not been considered under the risk construct; however, there are many similarities between the traditional behaviors classified as risky and eating behaviors. These behaviors have a developmental trajectory as well. Typically, they increase in prevalence over the adolescent years,5 with rates of substance use, unhealthy eating behaviors, and injury-related behaviors peaking in late adolescents and declining in young adulthood.Gs These potentially healthdamaging behaviors, established during adolescence, often have lasting deleterious effects throughout the life span. There is considerable debate about whether these behaviors are risk-taking behaviors or just risky behaviors with negative health outcomes. A critical question continues to be debated: Does the risky nature of the behaviors initiated during adolescence in conjunction with their volitional nature imply that there is a conceptual link among the behaviors? A number of investigators and theorists argue that adolescent risk taking is a valid construct, although they disagree about its conceptual basis. Since the focus of these proceedings is Adolescent Nutritional Disorders, whenever possible the issues specifically related to eating and the associated behaviors will be highlighted. It is hard to pinpoint an absolute reason why adolescents are at increased risk for risky behavior and the associated negative nutritional outcomes. As with all health problems, there is a complex relationship among the host, the agent, and the environment that are associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. This paper reviews the theoretical constructs that provide a framework for under-