Peer Pressure and Parental Educational Level as correlates of Health Risk Taking Behaviours among Undergraduates of Tertiary Institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated peer pressure and low parental educational level as predictors of health risk taking behaviours among undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Descriptive research design of survey type was adopted. The population for the study consisted of undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. A total of seven hundred and twenty (720) respondents were selected using the multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected with the use of a validated, self-structured questionnaire titled Health Risk Taking Behaviours (HRTBQ). The instrument was validated and found reliable at 0.81. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentages, and mean score to answer the research questions raised, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that peer pressure and low parental educational level have significant relationship with health risk taking behaviours among undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. The findings recommended, among other things, that undergraduates in tertiary institutions of learning should make an effort to associate with peers who will not encourage or compel them to engage in unhealthy habits.