ABSTRACT
Shelter homes are a mean of providing accommodation to the disadvantaged people of different age ranges. The aim of the study was to assess the risks associated with the health of adolescents living in shelter homes of Islamabad. The demographic variables which have association with these risks were also evaluated. For this purpose, a cross-sectional survey was carried out at 4 shelter homes of Islamabad. A total of 400 respondents were selected through multistage sampling. A questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and modified HRA (Health Risk Assessment) Model was used for data collection. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 26. Pearson Chi-square test was applied to find factors associated with risk behaviors and p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results showed that 82% of the study population was male. Majority of the respondents lie between 13-15 years of age group. It was found that nearly 51% of the respondents were on health risk. Gender, age, education level, family structure and no. in siblings have significant association with health risk behaviors (p value<0.05). It can be concluded that adolescents living in shelter homes are prone to develop health risk behaviors with girls at more risk.
