Prevalence of Multiple Risky Behaviors and Related Factors: New Challenges in Behavioral Health

Dear Colleagues,

Health-related risk behaviors pose a threat to the physical health and wellbeing of both humans and our communities. Therefore, public health professionals are concerned with both improving personal health and preventing health-related risky behavior.
In a health context, the conception of risky behavior is mostly based on an epidemiological approach related to the emergence and prevalence of diseases and injuries. The World Health Organization asserts that many diseases and disorders are caused by risky behaviors which are often associated with variations in lifestyle. Statistics show that the ten main causes of premature death include risky behaviors such as smoking status, alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity levels, unhealthy dietary habits, unsafe sexual intercourse, and non-compliance with medical recommendations. Other types of risky behaviors associated with long- or short-term health problems include potential risk factors such as psychoactive substance use, driving under the influence of alcohol (“drink-driving”), and failure to wear a seat belt in vehicles. Each of these behaviors can be avoided or minimized by appropriate prevention and intervention programs. The impact of some risky behaviors on health is so obvious that their prevention is a key axis of international and national health and disease prevention programs.

Attention should also be paid to the fact that psychobiological research has confirmed the neurobiological, biochemical, and hormonal basis of risky behavior. Additionally, the psychosocial and emotional factors (such as psychosocial distress) that lead to choices to pursue risky behavior are important. As a result, an increasing number of researchers are focusing on addressing the relationship between health-related behavior and psychological wellbeing. However, given the abundance of risk factors, scholars tend to separate different types of risk behavior. Most preventive programs address the management of only one risk factor; however, risky behaviors are varied, a fact which should be taken into account in next-generation research.

This Special Issue aims to present evidence for the association between multiple risky behaviors and their health-related consequences in different populations. We invite scientists to publish their reviews, report the findings of observational studies, and make their experimental studies more widely available.

Manuscripts should reflect original research with well-articulated research aims/questions, precise methodologies (including clearly identified outcomes, a description of the sample population, recruitment, implementation process, measurement instruments, analytic plan, and special software), and elaborated discussions of the findings, policies, practices, and research implications.

Dr. Marius Baranauskas
Prof. Dr. Rimantas Stukas
Dr. Donatas Austys
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• risky behaviors
• reckless behaviors
• alcohol abuse
• tobacco use
• psychoactive substance use
• drug behaviors
• sexual behavior
• levels of physical activity
• dietary patterns
• impulsive eating
• eating disorders
• psychological distress
• mental health
• mental disorders