Level of Community Knowledge about Non-Communicable Diseases and Their Prevention in Coastal Areas
Keywords:
Adolescents, Health education, Healthy living behavior, Physical activity, School-based interventionAbstract
Adolescence is a critical period for establishing lifelong healthy behaviors. This study examines the effect of structured health education programs on changes in healthy living behavior among adolescents. Using a quasi-experimental design, 200 adolescents from selected high schools participated in a 12-week health education intervention focusing on nutrition, physical activity, hygiene, and substance abuse prevention. Pre- and post-intervention surveys measured changes in knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported health behaviors. Results indicated a significant increase in health-related knowledge and positive shifts in attitudes toward healthy living. Moreover, participants demonstrated improved behaviors, including increased physical activity, healthier dietary choices, and reduced engagement in risky behaviors. The findings suggest that health education plays a vital role in promoting sustainable healthy lifestyle changes in adolescent populations. The study recommends integrating comprehensive health education into school curricula and engaging families and communities to reinforce these behaviors
References
Bandura, A. (2004). Health promotion by social cognitive means. Health Education & Behavior, 31(2), 143–164.
Biddle, S. J. H., & Asare, M. (2011). Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(11), 886–895.
Brown, T., & Summerbell, C. (2009). Systematic review of school-based interventions that focus on changing dietary intake and physical activity levels. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 22(2), 179–190.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2019.
Contento, I. R. (2007). Nutrition education: Linking research, theory, and practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Currie, C. et al. (2012). Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Dobbins, M., DeCorby, K., Robeson, P., Husson, H., & Tirilis, D. (2009). School-based physical activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents aged 6–18. Cochrane Database.
Glanz, K., Rimer, B. K., & Viswanath, K. (2008). Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice. John Wiley & Sons.
Green, L. W., & Kreuter, M. W. (2005). Health program planning: An educational and ecological approach. McGraw-Hill.
Hagger, M. S., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. D. (2009). Integrating the theory of planned behaviour and self-determination theory in health behaviour. British Journal of Health Psychology, 14(2), 275–302.
Haskell, W. L. et al. (2007). Physical activity and public health: Updated recommendations for adults from the ACSM and AHA. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1423–1434.
Kirby, D., Laris, B. A., & Rolleri, L. (2007). Sex and HIV education programs: Their impact on sexual behaviors of young people throughout the world. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(3), 206–217.
Kolbe, L. J. (2005). A framework for school health programs in the 21st century. Journal of School Health, 75(6), 226–228.
Langford, R. et al. (2014). The WHO Health Promoting School framework for improving the health and well‐being of students and staff. Cochrane Review.
Lytle, L. A. (2009). Examining the etiology of childhood obesity: The IDEA study. American Journal of Community Psychology, 44(3–4), 338–349.
Micha, R., Peñalvo, J. L., Cudhea, F., Imamura, F., Rehm, C. D., & Mozaffarian, D. (2017). Association between dietary factors and mortality from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in the United States. JAMA, 317(9), 912–924.
Nutbeam, D. (2000). Health literacy as a public health goal. Health Promotion International, 15(3), 259–267.
Patton, G. C. et al. (2016). Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. The Lancet, 387(10036), 2423–2478.
Perry, C. L., & Jessor, R. (1985). The concept of health promotion and the prevention of adolescent drug use. Health Education Quarterly, 12(2), 169–184.
Resnicow, K., Baranowski, T., Ahluwalia, J. S., & Braithwaite, R. L. (1999). Cultural sensitivity in public health: Defined and demystified. Ethnicity & Disease, 9(1), 10–21.
Rosenstock, I. M., Strecher, V. J., & Becker, M. H. (1988). Social learning theory and the Health Belief Model. Health Education Quarterly, 15(2), 175–183.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. B. (2008). Ecological models of health behavior. In Glanz et al. (Eds.), Health Behavior and Health Education.
Sawyer, S. M., Afifi, R. A., Bearinger, L. H., et al. (2012). Adolescence: A foundation for future health. The Lancet, 379(9826), 1630–1640.
Simons-Morton, B. G., & Farhat, T. (2010). Recent findings on peer group influences on adolescent smoking. Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(4), 191–208.
Singh, A. S. et al. (2008). Tracking of childhood overweight into adulthood: A systematic review of the literature. Obesity Reviews, 9(5), 474–488.
St. Leger, L. (2001). Schools, health literacy and public health: Possibilities and challenges. Health Promotion International, 16(2), 197–205.
Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., Robinson-O'Brien, R., & Glanz, K. (2008). Creating healthy food and eating environments: Policy and environmental approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 253–272.
Thomas, R. E., McLellan, J., & Perera, R. (2013). School-based programmes for preventing smoking. Cochrane Database.
WHO. (2016). Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. World Health Organization.
Yoon, P. W., Bastian, B., Anderson, R. N., et al. (2014). Potentially preventable deaths from the five leading causes of death — United States, 2008–2010. MMWR, 63(17), 369–374.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Naftiansyah, Leo Tania (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.



