School-aged Children Survey Research Articles

How family socioeconomic status, peer behaviors, and school-based intervention on healthy habits influence adolescent eating behaviors

Psychologists in schools can play an important role in developing policies and programs to promote healthy eating habits. This study analyses the contributions of family socioeconomic status, peer influence (schoolmates’ food consumption), and school-based nutrition interventions to explain adolescent eating behaviors. Data were obtained from the 2014 Health behaviour in school-aged children survey in Spain, with a sample of 6,851 adolescents (11- to 16-years-old). The results suggest that school-based healthy-eating programs could improve by considering parental education level and by implementing interventions focused on the peer social network. Policies that limit access to unhealthy products in schools – rather than simply offering healthy foods alongside unhealthy products – could be more effective.

School, Peer and Family Relationships and Adolescent Substance Use, Subjective Wellbeing and Mental Health Symptoms in Wales: a Cross Sectional Study

Positive relationships with family, friends and school staff are consistently linked with health and wellbeing during adolescence, though fewer studies explore how these micro-systems interact to influence adolescent health. This study tests the independent and interacting roles of family, peer and school relationships in predicting substance use, subjective wellbeing and mental health symptoms among 11–16 year olds in Wales. It presents cross-sectional analyses of the 2013 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, completed by 9055 young people aged 11–16 years. Multilevel logistic regression analyses are used to test associations of family communication, family support, relationships with school staff, school peer connectedness, and support from friends, with tobacco use, cannabis use, alcohol use, subjective wellbeing and mental health symptoms. Positive relationships with family and school staff were consistently associated with better outcomes. Support from friends was associated with higher use of all substances, while higher school peer connectedness was associated with better subjective wellbeing and mental health. Better relationships with school staff were most strongly associated with positive subjective wellbeing, and fewer mental health symptoms where pupils reported less family support. Support from friends was associated with higher cannabis use and worse mental health among pupils with lower family support. Relationships with family and school staff may be important in protecting young people against substance use, and improving wellbeing and mental health. Interventions focused on student-staff relationships may be important for young people with less family support. Interventions based on peer support should be mindful of potential harmful effects for pupils with less support from family.

Increasing prevalence of emotional symptoms in higher socioeconomic strata: Trend study among Danish schoolchildren 1991-2014.

Aims: The aims of this study were: (a) to examine trends in daily emotional symptoms among 11- to 15-year-olds from 1991 to 2014 in Denmark, and (b) to examine trends in social inequality in daily emotional symptoms, that is, whether the differences in prevalence between adolescents with parents of varying occupational social class changed over time. Methods: We combined seven comparable cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children surveys (N=31,169). Daily emotional symptoms were measured by the HBSC Symptom Check List and occupational social class (OSC) by students' reports about parents' occupation. We calculated absolute (per cent) differences in emotional symptoms between high and low OSC and relative differences by odds ratio for emotional symptoms by parents' OSC. Results: Eight per cent reported at least one daily emotional symptoms, with an increasing trend from 1991 to 2014 (p<0.001). The prevalence in high, middle and low OSC was 6.2%, 7.4% and 10.6% (p<0.0001). From 1991 to 2014, there was an increase in the prevalence of daily emotional symptoms in high (p<0.0001) and middle (p<0.0001) but not low OSC (p=0.4404). This resulted in a diminishing absolute social inequality in emotional symptoms. The statistical interaction between OSC and survey year was significant (p=0.0023) and suggests a diminishing relative social inequality in emotional symptoms from 1991 to 2014. Conclusions: There was an increasing prevalence of daily emotional symptoms from 1991 to 2014 and a diminishing social inequality in prevalence of daily emotional symptoms in terms of both absolute and relative social inequality.

#MeToo: The Perfect Storm Needed to Change Attitudes Toward Sexual Harassment and Violence

The #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns have led to calls for a radical change in attitudes to harassment, sexual violence, and abuse. These campaigns have not been uncontroversial—claims that we risk applying today’s standards to yesterday’s behavior have evoked huge antipathy. That sexual harassment is engrained in our social ethos is exposed in surveys of school-aged children, with over one third of girls in mixed-sex schools personally experiencing sexual harassment at school.1 Emerging technologies have enabled new forms of harassment, such as increasingly common and damaging online abuse2 and ‘up-skirting’ – with calls for the latter to be made a criminal offence.3 Sexual violence and abuse are wide-ranging – from sexual abuse and exploitation to rape and modern-day slavery for sexual purposes. Despite the impact on all, sexual violence remains a gendered crime, with more girls and women affected, reflecting misogynistic and patriarchal attitudes inherited from ages past. Recent outcry over the proposal by the Parole Board to release from prison a serial ‘black cab’ rapist led to a judicial review, which overturned the decision,4 raising the complex question of what can be done to protect the public from proven perpetrators who may re-offend.

Relative Age Effect on European Adolescents' Social Network

We contribute to the literature on relative age effects on pupils’ (non-cognitive) skills formation by studying students’ social network. We investigate data on European adolescents from the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children survey and use an instrumental variables approach to account for endogeneity of relative age while controlling for confounders, namely absolute age, season-of-birth, and family socio-economic status. We find robust evidence that suggests the existence of a substitution effect: the youngest students within a class e-communicate more frequently than relatively older classmates but have fewer friends and meet with them less frequently.

Tooth Erosion Association with Obesity: Findings from a Brazilian Survey in Schoolchildren

Objective: To evaluate a possible association between tooth erosion and weight status in Brazilian schoolchildren. Material and Methods: 1211 children aged 8-12-year-old from public and private schools in Southern Brazil were selected by a two-stage cluster method. Oral conditions were assessed by six trained and calibrated examiners. Tooth erosion assessment was determined by using the O´Sullivan index. Anthropometric measures were taken in order to obtain the body mass index. Socio-demographic and behavioral data were collected using questionnaires in children and parents. Multivariate Poisson regression model considering the cluster sample was used for data analysis (Prevalence ratio - PR; 95% Confidence Interval - CI). Results: Tooth erosion was observed in 25.1% of the children. Obesity and overweight prevalence was 34.6%. In the multivariate adjusted model, tooth erosion was associated with children from private schools (PR 1.68; 95%CI 1.05-2.68) and higher frequency of physical activity weekly (PR 1.48; 95%CI 1.04-2.09), whereas dental crowding in both arches was considered a protective effect (PR 0.55; 95%CI 0.34-0.89). In the stratified analysis regarding the type of school, children from private schools presented a positive association between tooth erosion and obesity (PR 3.26; 95%CI 1.38-7.69). Conclusion: Tooth erosion was not associated with obesity in the total sample. Socioeconomic differences seem to influence the relationship tooth erosion and obesity.

Dental caries and oral hygiene status: Survey of schoolchildren in rural communities, Southwest Nigeria.

Dental caries and poor oral hygiene cause pain and have an effect on activities of children such as playing, sleeping, eating and school attendance. Previous studies on the prevalence of dental caries and poor oral hygiene have focused more on urban than rural communities in the developing countries. The objective of the study was to assess dental caries and oral hygiene status of schoolchildren in rural communities. It was a cross-sectional study involving 778 schoolchildren from 12 public primary schools. A pre-tested, semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographics and oral health practice. Dental caries was assessed using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and oral hygiene status by the simplified oral hygiene and gingival indices. The mean age of the children was 11.0 ± 1.8 years, and the prevalence of dental caries was 12.2% with a mean DMFT/dmft of 0.2 ± 0.7. Children aged 10-12 years were 3 times more likely to have caries on ≥1 tooth (P = 0.01, confidence interval = 1.3-6.7). Herbal remedies were more often (35.3%) used to manage dental problems. The mean simplified oral hygiene and gingival indices were 1.7 ± 0.9 and 1.1 ± 0.5, respectively. The occurrence of dental caries appears to be increasing in rural Nigerian schoolchildren, but still within WHO limits. Oral hygiene status was poor and gingivitis was common.

Factors Associated to Non-Attendance to Dental Care among Adolescents—Suggesting a Model

Background: Understanding why adolescents miss dental appointments is central to promoting people’s oral health into adulthood. Studies on non-attendant adolescents are rare. Method: Using information from a population-based survey of schoolchildren in &#214rebro County, Sweden, we aimed to find factors associated with adolescents’ dental non-attendance and to suggest a risk-factor model for non-attendance. The 2014 survey of all pupils in three grades (~ages 13, 15, and 17) in the county (N = 7399) had a response rate of 80%. The questionnaire asked 67 or 86 questions (depending on grade) on five components: socioeconomic conditions, quality of life, social relations, lifestyle and health (with two specific questions on dental care and oral health), social cohesion and social capital. Using a model based on risk factors identified in the literature, we used descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and logistic regressions to find associations between dental attendance and potential risk factors. Results: Youth were non-attendant (n = 171) and attendant (n = 4236). Strong associations were found between non-attendance being a boy, being born outside Sweden, and living with parents not in the labor market. Health and health behaviors such as consuming sweet drinks or foods every day and being overweight were also associated with non-attendance. A model for risk of non-attendance based on variables significant in the analysis is presented. Conclusions: This study shows a strong association between non-attendant behavior and sociodemographic factors and health behavior. It also adds knowledge of the increased vulnerability to non-attendance in adolescents having at least one disability and/or experience of critical life.

School Perceptions of Children Raised by Grandparents

ABSTRACTIncreasing numbers of children raised by grandparents are students in schools. Their substitute family structure and precursors to the emergence of this family structure have implications for the children's school performance. Research suggests teachers view these children as at risk for difficult school functioning. The aforementioned judgment is problematic because teacher expectations, attributions, and biases are associated with stereotype threat that impacts student performance adversely. The author compares children raised by grandparents with children raised by parents and foster parents. The author examines the children's perceptions of their teachers' views of their school performance. He also examines the children's general feelings about school. Participants in the study were 6,550 students in Grades 6–8 from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. Nonparametric statistical analyses reveal children raised by grandparents believe teachers' view their school performance negatively when compared with children living with both parents. Strategies are described to improve the children's performance in school and to foster favorable teacher perceptions.

Trunk asymmetry at children aged 10-15 years: relation between amount of asymmetry and risk factors.

Abstract Objective: This study focuses on the possible associations between the trunk asymmetry (TA) and different risk factors, such as: Body Mass Index (BMI), place of residence (rural/urban area), the gender of the subjects and the level of the physical activity. Methods: The data for this study was obtained from a cross-sectional survey of school children carried out in 2015 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. In this study 487 pupils (260 boys and 227 girls) aged 10-15 years were included. The angle of trunk rotation (ATR) was obtained from scoliometer readings. The level of the physical activity was calculated from the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. The statistical analysis was carried out on the obtained mean values (independent sample t-test, paired-sample t-test, ANOVA), and the relation between variables was analyzed by the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: In case of subjects from urban area the degree of TA was 2.75º(±2.85º), and in case of those from rural area 2.09º(±2.23º), t= 2.813, p = 0.005. The TA was lower in subjects who live in rural area, in houses: 2.07º(±2.21), than in case of those who live in flats in urban area: 2.86º(±2.94), (p = 0.032 ). The level of physical activity in case of boys is higher than in case of girls (boys 2.82±(0.68), girls 2.62(±0.67)). The Pearson correlation test did not find any correlation between the angle of trunk rotation and the level of physical activity: r= 0.000, p = 0.998. The degree of TA is higher in case of girls, than in case of boys (girls 2.88º(±2.91º), boys 2.19º(±2.38º)), t = - 2.601, p = 0.010. However, we found small correlation between the BMI and the TA in case of boys who have a degree of trunk asymmetry ≥5º: r = - 0.289, p = 0.044. Conclusions: The study revealed the lack of correlation between the TA and BMI, place of residence and the level of physical activity practiced. However, in case of boys we found a small correlation between the BMI and sever asymmetry.

Sexual orientation among Icelandic year 10 adolescents: Changes in health and life satisfaction from 2006 to 2014.

Minority sexual orientation may add additional stresses to the period of adolescence thus affecting mental health and wellbeing. The whole population of year 10 students in 2006, 2010, and 2014 in Iceland were surveyed as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey. Sexual orientation could be identified in 1,994 participants from 2006 (43.8% of population; 988 girls), 3,777 from 2010 (78.6%; 1,863 girls) and 3,526 in 2014 (80.1%; 1,731 girls). About 3.1%, 3.6%, and 4.4% were identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) in 2006, 2010, and 2014, respectively. Given the sampling proportions, the results reflect parameters (population values) rather than statistics (sample values). LGB adolescents were worse off across most of the psychosocial measures across the three surveys as compared with adolescents of unknown sexual orientation (USO). However, the gap between LGB and USO adolescents appears to be closing, at least for the 2010 to 2014 change, suggesting that outcomes for LGB adolescents have improved compared to four years earlier. Social support, liking school and one's classmates, being bullied, and physical and mental health all seem to play an important part in life satisfaction and general wellbeing. While advances have been made for LGB adolescents, gaps between LGB and USO adolescents still exist and need to be closed through evidence-based school and society-wide programs.

Profiles of blood pressure among children and adolescents with different body mass index categories in Shandong, China

Background: The International Obesity Task Force recently developed an extended body mass index (BMI) cut-offs for screening thinness, overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The present study examined the profiles of blood pressure (BP) among children and adolescents with different BMI categories in Shandong, China.Methods: Data for this study were obtained from a large cross-sectional survey of schoolchildren. A total of 44,630 students (22,404 boys and 22,226 girls) aged 7–18 years participated in this study. The grades of body weight (thinness grade 1–3, normal weight, overweight and obesity grade 1–3) was defined by the international BMI cut-offs. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured on one occasion. High BP was defined as SBP and/or DBP ≥95th percentile for age and gender.Results: The overall prevalence of thinness (grade 1–3), overweight and obesity (grade 1–3) were 7.80, 18.74 and 8.56% for boys and 11.16, 13.53 and 3.70% for girls, respectively, boys had a lower prevalence of thinness and higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than girls (p < .01). Urban boys and girls had a lower prevalence of thinness and higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than their rural counterparts (p < .01). Children and adolescents with high BMI had a higher BP levels than their counterparts with normal and low BMI.Conclusion: High BMI is strongly related to elevated BP. Our findings emphasize the importance of the prevention of overweight/obesity to prevent future-related problems such as hypertension in children and adolescents.

Development of the methods of conducting the developing game "QUIZ" for informal education of schoolchildren of middle and senior classes

Intellectual games are a good tool in teaching schoolchildren. Since they allow not only to submit new information in an interesting form, which draws the attention of schoolchildren, it is also used to verify the knowledge that has already been obtained. Various intellectual games are used in various spheres and at different levels of training, in this study the application of the intellectual game "QUIZ" in the framework of informal education of schoolchildren of middle and senior classes is considered.The aim of the work is development of a new methodology for conducting intellectual games, which will attract the attention of schoolchildren to various aspects of knowledge, as well as diversify the learning process.In this study, the methodology for conducting the intellectual game QUIZ is developed, various contests that are included in this game, and the methodology for their conduct are described.Studies of the use of this methodology in practice with the use of developed competitions and media materials are conducted. The advantages and disadvantages of using this training method are analyzed. A survey of schoolchildren is conducted, which revealed the success of this training method

Motives to use alcohol among adolescents according to their neighbourhood characteristics, gender, age, and drinking patterns

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study is to understand if motives to drink are associated to certain patterns of drinking and specific socio-demographic drinkers’ characteristics.As part of the Portugal Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, developed with 5050 pupils (47.7% of boys), attending the 6th, 8th, and 10th grade levels and with a mean age of 13.98 years (SD = 1.85), the present study was carried out using the “Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised Short Form” (Kuntsche & Kuntsche, 2009) in order to investigate the drinking motives among young people and its relationship with neighborhood characteristics, gender, age, and drinking patterns. Results showed that social motives are the most frequent, followed by enhancement, coping, and conformity motives. Statistically significant differences were found between gender and grade (a proxy for age), being essentially the boys who consume more socially and the boys of the 8th grade that reported to consume for enhancement motives, cope with negative emotions, or to affirm themselves within peers group. Differences between the place of residence and consumption patterns are also found, showing that pupils who live in a neighborhood marked by many night entertainment venues, violence and theft, along with its location in an isolated area, have a significantly higher average in the four motives. Considering the drinking pattern, drinking to cope or for conformity motives are more common during the week and during the day, while drinking for social motives is more frequent during the day. Implications of the results for health and educational public policies are discussed.

Multidimensional Poverty Among Adolescents in 38 Countries: Evidence from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2013/14 Study

This study applied UNICEF’s Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) framework to adolescents (aged 11, 13 and 15) in 37 European countries and Canada using data from the 2013/14 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. It is one of the first applications of MODA based entirely on data collected from adolescents themselves rather than from household reference persons on their behalf. Unlike most other multidimensional child poverty studies, the present analysis focuses on non-material, relational aspects of child poverty. Substantial cross-country variation was found in the prevalence of adolescent deprivations in nutrition, perceived health, school environment, protection from peer violence, family environment and information access. These single dimensions of poverty did not closely relate to national wealth and income inequality. However, when we looked at deprivation in three or more dimensions (i.e., multidimensional poverty), we found association with income inequality. In most countries, girls were at a higher risk of multidimensional poverty than boys. In addition, adolescents who lived with both parents in the household or reported higher family wealth were consistently less poor than other adolescents, in both single and multiple dimensions. The results of this study show the interconnectedness of social (family, school support) and psychological (health and violence) dimensions of poverty for adolescents in higher income countries. Children poor in the domains of family and school environment are also likely to be poor in terms of perceived health and protection from peer violence.

Is Medicine Use for Nervousness Associated with Adolescent At-Risk or Problem Gambling?

Objective: To examine the association between adolescent at-risk or problem gambling (ARPG) and medicine used to treat nervousness in a large-scale nationally representative sample of Italian adolescents. Study design: Data from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey was used for cross-sectional analyses (a sample of 20,791 15-year-old students). Self-administered questionnaires were completed by a representative sample of high-school students. Respondents' ARPG, use of medicine for nervousness and potential confounding factors were assessed. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to test the association between medicine use to treat nervousness and ARPG. Results: The overall prevalence of adolescents reporting medicine use for nervousness in the last month was 6.3%. The odds of ARPG were 3 times higher among adolescents who used medicine for nervousness compared to that among adolescents who did not take such medicine (OR 2.96, 95% CI 2.07-4.25). Importantly, the association between medicine used to treat nervousness and ARPG did not vary significantly when viewed in light of psychological symptoms. Conclusions: Medicine use to treat nervousness is associated with increased risk of gambling-related harm.

Income Inequality and Adolescent Gambling Severity: Findings from a Large-Scale Italian Representative Survey.

Background: Studies have shown that problems related to adult gambling have a geographical and social gradient. For instance, adults experiencing gambling-related harms live in areas of greater deprivation; are unemployed, and have lower income. However, little is known about the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on adolescent problem gambling. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the contextual influences of income inequality on at-risk or problem gambling (ARPG) in a large-scale nationally representative sample of Italian adolescents. A secondary aim was to analyze the association between perceived social support (from family, peers, teachers, and classmates) and ARPG.Methods: Data from the 2013–2014 Health Behavior in School-aged Children Survey (HBSC) Study was used for cross-sectional analyses of ARPG. A total of 20,791 15-year-old students completed self-administered questionnaires. Region-level data on income inequality (GINI index) and overall wealth (GDP per capita) were retrieved from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat). The data were analyzed using the multi-level logistic regression analysis, with students at the first level and regions at the second level.Results: The study demonstrated a North–South gradient for the prevalence of ARPG, with higher prevalence of ARPG in the Southern/Islands/Central Regions (e.g., 11% in Sicily) than in Northern Italy (e.g., 2% in Aosta Valley). Students in regions of high-income inequality were significantly more likely than those in regions of low-income inequality to be at-risk or problem gamblers (following adjustment for sex, family structure, family affluence, perceived social support, and regionale wealth). Additionally, perceived social support from parents and teachers were negatively related to ARPG.Conclusions: Income inequality may have a contextual influence on ARPG. More specifically, living in regions of highest income inequality appeared to be a potential factor that increases the likelihood of becoming an at-risk or problem gambler. Findings of the study suggest that wealth distribution within societies affected by economic policies may indirectly have an influence adolescent gambling behaviors.

School physical activity policies and active transport to school among pupils in the Czech Republic

Abstract Background Previous studies indicate that the level of physical activity (PA) significantly affects children's health. Active transport to school is PA on a daily basis that may contribute substantially to the overall volume of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Aim of our study was to explore whether schools' health promotion and PA-related policies are associated with active commuting in 15-years-old girls and boys actively commuting to and from school and whether gender differences on active commuting exist. Methods Students in 9th grades (N = 1522; mean age 15 years; 47.7% boys) from the Czech Republic were enrolled. The active transport of adolescents was self-reported within the Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey in the year 2010. Data about school polices were obtained from the school-level questionnaire which was responded to by school principals. Associations between active transport and school health or PA policies were calculated by logistic regression. Results We found that adolescents actively commuted more often (OR/95%-CI: 3.43/1.87–6.27 [girls]; 2,87/1.46–5.642 [boys]) in schools which promote students’ walking and cycling to or from school. Adolescents from schools that are planning an implementation of health promotion reported even higher levels of use of active transport (OR/95%-CI: 5.32/2.38–11.92 [girls]; 4.54/2.01–10.24 [boys]). The association was stronger in boys compared to girls. Conclusion School policies and programs promoting active transport to and from schools in the Czech Republic contribute to the use of active transport and should be widely implemented. Gender-sensitive approaches should also be taken into account.

Trends in Lifetime Cannabis Use among Czech School-aged Children from 2002 to 2014.

The aim of the study was to examine trends in the prevalence of lifetime cannabis use among the Czech 15-year old students. Data from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey, conducted in the Czech Republic in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014, were used. Trends in cannabis use among both boys and girls were modelled through binary logistic regression with period as a predictor of the lifetime cannabis use. The prevalence of lifetime cannabis use has significantly decreased among young Czechs, particularly among boys. Gender differences in cannabis use have been also gradually decreasing since 2002, with no significant differences between genders in recent period. Although there are positive changes in the prevalence of adolescent cannabis use, from the European perspective, Czech students still belong to those with significantly higher rates in this respect. Thus, alongside with the use of other substances, adolescent cannabis consumption remains an important challenge for the national public health policy.

Zachowania sedentarne a nieswoiste dolegliwości psychosomatyczne młodzieży szkolnej

IntroductionIn numerous papers, it was indicated that teenagers who spend a lot of time in front of the screen can experience subjective health complaints. The aimThe aim of the paper is to show the frequency and life style-related determinants of health complaints in adolescence. Material and methodsThe study was conducted in school year 2013/14 in the frame of international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey. The nationwide sample included 2441 students with age ranging 15–16 years. Ten logistic regression models for five somatic and five mental complaints were estimated. The main independent variables were sedentary behaviours (watching TV/ films, computer games, social media and the Internet), age and gender. ResultsMore often than once a week, at least one somatic complaint was reported by 55.3% and at least one mental one by 48.5% of teenagers. On average, young respondents spent 3 hours daily on the Internet and social media, 2.5 hour on watching films and 1.5 hour on playing computer games. It was indicated that the Internet and social media significantly increase the risk of all ten complaints, especially dizziness, nervousness, stomach ache and irritation. Watching TV increases the risk of six complaints while computer games could induce only two of those complaints – in both cases, the highest association with stomach ache was found. ConclusionsSedentary behaviours have negative impact on the well-being in adolescents. There is a need to work out the educational strategies in order to limit their screen time as well as to promote higher physical activity.