BANGKOK, July 9 — About one in every three Thai teenagers and university students say that they intend to use diet pills and to undergo cosmetic surgery in the hope of getting more slim and beautiful figures, while half of all children skip breakfast, according to a recent study.
Commissioned by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), the study found that one-third of Thai teenagers were interested in using diet pills and having plastic surgery for beauty-related purposes, Amornwich Nakornthap, director of Ramjitti Institute said Monday.
In addition, Thai teenagers are facing stress.
One million secondary school to university students experienced depression and irritability without specifically identified causes while nearly half suffered from major stress leading to stomachaches and vomiting.
Meanwhile, the study reported that most Thai teenagers skip breakfast.
Half of Thailand’s secondary students eat breakfast while only 37 per cent of vocational and university students regularly have breakfast, Dr Amornwich said.
To ease these concerns, the Ramjitti Institute director advised that schools and educational institutes should adjust the educational system by increasing more alternative activities in order to help de-stress the students and to enhance student happiness, dignity and self-respect, which would also help minimise school violence.
In a related issue, Dr Amornwich revealed that Thai youth have a tendency to have premarital sex with a rising rate from 24 per cent in 2008 to 35 per cent in 2011.
Twenty-seven per cent of those surveyed in 2011 admitted that their close friends had unwanted pregnancies or abortions.
Additionally, only 53 per cent of the teenagers learned about limits and risks of using condoms and 57 per cent of them regularly carried condoms, allowing for their possible use.
Regarding crime and school violence, Dr Amornwich explained that some 700,000-1,000,000 secondary to university students nationwide experienced various forms of school violence such as the extortion of money, physical attacks and brawls with their peers.
