Grades and Household Income Levels of Junior High School Girls : Impacts on the health-related quality of life and the mediation effect of health behavior

Abstract

This study is constructed to provide basic materials for establishing measures or systems that can improve the quality of life among female junior high school students, by finding out the impacts of grades and household income levels of the students on their health-related quality of life and the mediation effect of health behavior.<BR> The study is based on the survey results from 297 junior and senior students of a girls’ junior high school located in Iksan-si (November 19 to 22, 2012).<BR> As a result, household income levels had a statistically significant positive impact on the health-related quality of life. Among the subcategories of health behavior, nutrition, diet, substance abuse, and stress control and interpersonal relationships were confirmed to have a statistically significant positive partial mediation effect.<BR> Given such study results, in order to improve the health-related quality of life among junior high school girls, schools must give nutrition classes and place strict punishment on smokers while publicizing serious damages caused by harmful substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. In addition, with a view to preventing grave situations resulting from stress and interpersonal relationships, schools must run their own one-on-one mentoring programs involving senior students, teachers or classmates, while programs and systems dedicated to teenager counseling and treatment should be further strengthened in organized ways on a governmental level. Most of all, families, schools and the government must try their best and closely cooperate to implement above-mentioned measures, which is expected to improve the quality of life among teenagers on whose shoulders Korea’s future lies.