local agenda 21 local plan for sustainable development of bistriþa ...

Health and lifestyle
An informative study was made in September 2003
into youth lifestyles conducted by handing out
questionnaires to a group of 152 persons aged
between 14 and 25 years from Bistrita. The study
showed the level of knowledge/ information, the main
attitudes and personal convictions of the youth in
Bistrita. The principal conclusions of this study were :
- Diets are unhealthy and favourable to the onset
of the main chronic diseases.
- Despite expectations, more than 70% of the
investigated persons were non smokers.
- While smoking does not seem to be a trend,
alcohol consumption was present (only 42.1%
declared they do not consume any alcohol).
- Despite a strong general opinion against drug
consumption, there are signs that point to the opposite
(11.84% gave evasive answers, refused to respond or
recognised they had consumed).
- Levels of physical exercise (especially for girls)
were low. Exercise is mostly perceived as an activity
aimed at maintaining body shape and not as a healthy
way of life.
- The main ways of relieving stress were passive
(listening to music and sleeping) and mildly active
(walking and sport); spiritual aspects were very rarely
citied (writing, drawing, meditation).
- Young persons find understanding and
solutions to their personal problems mainly through
friends of their own age and only afterwards from
parents or brothers and sisters.
- In terms of sexual life, most are not sexually
active yet, but among those who are, less than half
take responsibility for the sexual act (by using
protection). Girls tend to be more responsible.
- Responsibility and involvement with the
environment is also low.
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MUNICIPALITY
- The main free-time activity (daily, for 52%) was
watching television (34.2%) or using their computer
(17.76%). Less frequent but present activities are:
discos, listening to music, going out with friends and,
seldom, reading.
- In terms of opportunities to spend their spare
time locally, the youth of Bistrita expressed their wish
to have more possibilities to practise sports (57%), or
waited passively for offers of how to spend their spare
time (8.5%).
- In terms of alcohol consumption and driving,
16.44% said they have driven a car or another vehicle
(bike) after consuming alcohol, while 54.6% have
been in a car driven by someone who consumed
alcohol.
- Participation in volunteer activities as a habit is
not common for the young persons in Bistrita (23.68%
have never taken part in any such activities, 61.2%
were rarely involved and only 14.5% would get
involved as often as possible). Generally, girls are
more wiling to get involved (almost twice as much as
boys) in these situations.
- The attitude towards health and the perception of
the lifestyle over health is dual, although very many
youths (70.4%) believe that their lifestyles influences
their health, 47% believe that their life styles did not
influence their health in any way. A majority of the first
category appreciates that their lifestyles have a
positive influence on their health, while a third seems
to be aware of the negative influence of their lifestyles.
A general conclusion is that young persons’ current
lifestyles are dominated by passive and visual
entertainment, rarely oriented towards the community
or environment and without recognising the influence
on their health.