Family Structures and Health Behaviour in Adolescents

The effects of family structure on children’s health behaviour have already been explored in the literature. However, few studies have considered also sets of some of the more important family characteristics, so that doubt as to exactly whether family structure influences children’s health behaviour still remains. In this study, we examined the effects of family structure on adolescents’ health behaviour in Italy by also taking into account other family factors such as parental behaviour, economic well-being, and family satisfaction. Data were drawn from the survey “Aspects of Daily Life” carried out by the Italian Statistical Institute (ISTAT). In this work, we use data from the 2005–2009 rounds of this survey, focusing on the sub-sample of adolescents aged 14–17. Four types of health behaviour were considered: cigarette smoking, consumption of alcohol, sports and physical activity, and consumption of fruit and vegetables. Results show the effect of family structure, but for some types of health behaviour this effect is confounded by other family characteristics.