{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:14:02Z","timestamp":1787789642336,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]],"date-time":"2024-10-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1729555200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Adolescence is a critical period for establishing lifelong health behaviors; yet in Lebanon, limited data exist on the prevalence of risk factors among this demographic. Objective: This study aims to assess alcohol consumption, dietary habits, physical activity, mental health, and smoking behaviors among Lebanese adolescents aged 13\u201317 years, with a focus on gender and school-type differences. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in Lebanon between March and July 2022 using the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) questionnaire. A representative sample of students from public and private schools participated in the survey, with key variables analyzed to identify significant patterns and disparities. Results: Our findings reveal that 6.3% of adolescents consumed alcohol, with males reporting a higher prevalence and earlier initiation (p = 0.003). Gender differences were evident in dietary habits, where males were more likely to consume sugary drinks (p = 0.04) and have consistent breakfast habits (p = 0.003). Adolescents from private schools exhibited distinct dietary behaviors, including lower milk consumption (p &lt; 0.001) and higher fatty food intake (p = 0.008). Males were also more physically active and reported better mental health outcomes compared to females (p = 0.004). Smoking behaviors showed that males smoked more frequently, while private school students reported smoking less. No significant difference was observed in bullying experiences between genders or school types. Conclusions: The study highlights critical health behaviors among Lebanese adolescents, with significant variations by gender and school type. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the identified risk factors and promote healthier behaviors in this population.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16213590","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]],"date-time":"2024-10-22T11:31:57Z","timestamp":1729596717000},"page":"3590","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Adolescent Health in Lebanon: Exploring Alcohol Use, Dietary Patterns, Mental Health, Physical Activity, and Smoking Using the Global School-Based Student Health Survey Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7392-4835","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maha","family":"Hoteit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Food Sciences Unit, National Council for Scientific Research of Lebanon (CNRS-L), Beirut P.O. Box 11-8281, Lebanon"},{"name":"PHENOL Research Program, Faculty of Public Health, Section 1, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6918-5689","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Souheil","family":"Hallit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, College of Humanities, Effat University, Jeddah 21478, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11937, Jordan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanaa","family":"Al Rawas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PHENOL Research Program, Faculty of Public Health, Section 1, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-5058-0190","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jana","family":"Amasha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"PHENOL Research Program, Faculty of Public Health, Section 1, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fadia","family":"Kobeissi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Medical Worker, Faculty of Public Health, Section 1, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rafik","family":"Fayyad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Medical Worker, Faculty of Public Health, Section 1, Lebanese University, Beirut P.O. Box 6573, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yonna","family":"Sacre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6679-2296","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Tzenios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Public Health, Charisma University, London EC1V 7QE, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1385","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaac.2022.04.020","article-title":"Social Determinants of Health, Structural Racism, and the Impact on Child and Adolescent Mental Health","volume":"61","author":"Cotton","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson, R.K., Lamb, M., Anderson, H., Pieters-Arroyo, M., Anderson, B.T., Bola\u00f1os, G.A., and Asturias, E.J. (2019). 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