Prevalence of High-Risk Behaviors among Iranian Adolescents: a Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Our knowledge of the prevalence of high-risk behaviors among Iranian adolescents is controversial. This paper was aimed to estimate the prevalence of drug abuse, alcohol consumption, smoking, hookah, and extramarital sex among Iranian adolescents with a systematic approach. Information & Methods: In this meta-analyses study, the databases were searched up to date of 2020/1/21 that searched major international databases including Web of Science, Medline, and Scopus, and some national databases include SID, IranDoc, Magiran, and a reference list of the selected studies to obtain the relevant studies until 2020/02/21. PRISMA checklist and the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist were used. Stata 11 software was used to analyze data. Findings: Out of 8047 studies identified at initial phase, 37 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of drug abuse, alcohol consumption, smoking, hookah and extramarital sex were 4% (95% CI: 3% to 5%), 9% (95% CI: 6% to 10%), 9% (95% CI: 7% to 10%), 20% (95% CI: 14% to 25%) and 20% (95% CI: 9% to 31%), respectively.The prevalence of high-risk behaviors in Iranian adolescents is high. Taking primary prevention measures to reduce prevalence is recommended by legal and health measures.