Excellent Self-Rated Health among Swedish Boys and Girls and Its Relationship with Working Conditions in School: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Bitte Modin,Sara Låftman,Petra Löfstedt,Maria Granvik Saminathen

doi:10.3390/ijerph18031310

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which school demands, teacher support, and classmate support were associated with excellent self-rated health among students, and to examine if any such statistical predictions differed by gender. Data were drawn from the Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study of 2017/18, performed among adolescents in grades five, seven, and nine (n = 3701). Linear probability models showed that school demands were negatively associated with excellent self-rated health, whereas teacher and classmate support showed positive associations. The link with school demands was stronger for girls than boys, driven by the finding that in grades five and nine, school demands were associated with excellent self-rated health only among girls. In conclusion, the study suggests that working conditions in school in terms of manageable school demands and strong teacher and classmate support may benefit adolescents’ positive health. The finding that the link between school demands and excellent self-rated health was more evident among girls than among boys may be interpreted in light of girls’ on average stronger focus on schoolwork and academic success. The study contributes with to knowledge about how working conditions in school may impede or promote students’ positive health.

Highlights

Received: 30 November 2020Adolescence is a life phase characterised by rapid development and increased autonomy
Focusing on the school as one central social context for adolescents, the current study examines experiences of school demands, teacher support, and classmate support, and their links with excellent self-rated health
The aim of the current study was to analyse the extent to which school demands, teacher support, and classmate support were associated with excellent selfrated health among adolescents in Sweden, and to examine if these associations differed by gender

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is a life phase characterised by rapid development and increased autonomy. This period of life is associated with various types of challenges, many of which are in relation to academic demands and social relationships in the family and among peers [1]. While adolescent health is important in its own right, health conditions in this period of life may lay a foundation for the future. Self-rated health in adolescence has been shown to be associated with health outcomes in adulthood [2,3]. Research into the social determinants of adolescent self-reported health is vital. Prior research has presented links between adolescents’ self-rated health and a range of different medical, psychological, social, and lifestyle factors [4,5], including, e.g., healthy lifestyle [6], social capital in the family, neighbourhood, and school [7], exposure to bullying [8], and family socioeconomic position [9]

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