Introduction: Adolescents form two-thirds of our population. This is a unique group of people with special needs. Our\r\nsurvey aims to identify the lifestyle and behavioral patterns in this group of people and subsequently come up with issues\r\nthat warrant special attention.\r\nMethods: A survey was performed in various schools of Karachi. Data collection was done via a face-to-face interview based\r\non a structured, pre-tested questionnaire. Participants included all willing persons between 12ââ?¬â??19 years of age.\r\nResults: Most adolescents with lifestyle issues fell in the age group of 16ââ?¬â??18 years. Females were more depressed than\r\nmales and had more sleep problems. Substance abuse and other addictions were documented more in males. Watching\r\ntelevision or listening to music was stated as the most common late night activity (61.8%) and therefore was also referred to\r\nas the contributory factor for less than eight hours of sleep each day. (58.9%) of the respondents are getting less than eight\r\nhours of sleep daily. (41.5%) of the respondents who felt depressed sought treatment for it. Quite a few of them were also\r\nindulged in substance abuse and other addictions. Only (16.8%) of the respondents opined that physical activity is essential\r\nfor health. Thirty-five adolescents out of all the respondents were smoking cigarettes currently, whereas 7% of the\r\nrespondents chewed paan (areca nut). Peer pressure was the most common reason (37.1%) to start smoking.\r\nConclusion: Adolescents need to be treated as a distinct segment of our population and it is important to realize and\r\naddress their health and lifestyle problems. Inadequate sleep, depression and smoking were the leading unhealthy\r\nbehaviours among the respondents. Families can play an important role to help these adolescents live a healthier life.\r\nFurther research studies should be carried out to highlight issues of concern and their possible solutions in this population.
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