Abstract Purpose Engaging in prolonged screen-time behaviors (STBs) is detrimental for health. The objective of the present analyses was to examine temporal trends in TV viewing and computer use ...among adolescents across 30 countries. Methods Data were derived from the cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. Data on TV viewing and computer use for gaming and nongaming purposes were collected in 2002 (n = 139,725 51.4% girls), 2006 (n = 149,251 51.3% girls), and 2010 (n = 154,845 51.2% girls). The temporal trends in TV viewing and computer use were each tested for all countries combined and for each individual country by sex-specific univariate analysis of variance. Results Between 2002 and 2010, TV viewing decreased slightly in most of the 30 countries among both boys and girls. This decrease was more than offset by a sharp increase in computer use, which was consistent across all countries. Overall, boys reported more hours of STBs. They also reported a slightly larger decrease in TV viewing and slightly larger increase in computer use. STBs were generally more frequent on weekend days. Conclusions The overall cross-national increases in STBs should be a call to action for public health practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers that interventions specifically focused on reducing STBs in youth are sorely needed. Because all countries experienced a trend in the same direction, it might be fruitful to learn more about the determinants of STBs among those countries in which hours of STBs are generally low as compared with other countries.
The purpose of this study was to identify how various negative health indicators are associated with energy drink consumption frequency among 13- and 15-year-old Finnish adolescents.
Data (N = 2429) ...from the nationally representative international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (2018) were analyzed via descriptive analysis and logistic regression analyses, with control for salient covariates. Relative risks (RR) were derived from the adjusted odds ratios.
Even infrequent energy drink consumption was associated with various negative health indicators. Moreover, as compared to non-users, frequent energy drink consumers were more likely to report several health-compromising behaviors: current smoking (RR = 9.85, 95% CI: 5.68-16.02), current snus use (RR = 3.62, 95% CI: 1.80-6.85), cannabis use (RR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.69-6.52), alcohol consumption (RR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.49-3.71), problematic social media use (RR = 2.53, 95% CI:1.68-3.72), short sleep (RR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.69-2.60), skipping breakfast (RR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.51-2.29), drunkenness (RR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.11-2.23), inadequate tooth brushing (RR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05-1.54). In addition, frequent energy drink consumption was associated with perceived negative health indicators: feelings of insufficient sleep (RR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.11-2.15), low self-rated health (RR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.15-1.87), and multiple health complaints (RR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56).
Energy drink consumption, even infrequent, was associated with several negative health indicators, and the reporting of these increased with the frequency of energy drink consumption. The findings support the concerns of health authorities regarding the negative associations between energy drink consumption and health, even among persons as young as 13 years. There is evidence to support specific policy level actions, including restrictions on the sale of energy drinks to adolescents. This measure has been proposed in a Finnish government program, but implementation has yet to occur. Moreover, marketing of these beverages in platforms that are popular among adolescents (e.g., the social media) should be rigorously evaluated, and comprehensive interventions and actions implemented to ensure that adolescents, parents/guardians, and professionals working with adolescents (e.g., in schools) have a good understanding of the links between energy drink consumption and health.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
(1) Background: The use of social media has become an integral part of adolescents' daily lives. However, the intensive use of social media can develop into a health-threatening addiction, but ...unfavourable health consequences can occur even with less use. Social media user groups categorized as
,
(of developing problematic behaviour), and
were examined with reference to their prevalence, their associations with individual determinants and health, and the increased health risk between groups. (2) Methods: The Finnish nationally representative HBSC data (persons aged 11, 13, and 15, n = 3408) and descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis were applied. (3) Results: Problematic social media use (9.4%) was most common among older age groups, and among persons with moderate/low school achievement, low health literacy, and low parental monitoring. Belonging to a moderate risk group (33.5%) was most frequent among girls, and among adolescents with low/moderate parental monitoring and health literacy. All the negative health indicators systematically increased if the respondent belonged to a moderate risk or problematic use group. (4) Conclusions: The study confirmed the association between problematic social media use and negative health outcomes and highlighted the need to pay close attention to adolescents at moderate risk who exhibited negative health outcomes.
Aim: The first aim of this study was to explore the prevalence
of loneliness and subjective health complaints (SHCs) among school-aged children
in Finland. The second aim was to analyse to what ...extent perceived loneliness
explains any variance in SHCs among school-aged children.
Method: A representative sample of 5925 Finnish children
and adolescents from grades 5 (Mage=11.8 years), 7
(Mage=13.8) and 9
(Mage=15.8) completed the Health Behaviour in
School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Descriptive statistics were used to examine
the prevalence of health complaints and loneliness. Structural equation
modelling was used to test how strongly loneliness was associated with SHCs.
Results: The prevalence of loneliness and SHCs was higher
among girls and increased with age. Loneliness was a significant predictor of
health complaints, especially of psychological symptoms among girls and among
ninth grade students. Conclusions: The findings indicate
that loneliness is a major risk to the health and well-being of school-aged
children. The strong association between loneliness and SHCs highlights the
importance of active preventive actions to reduce loneliness.
Objectives:
Energy drink consumption among adolescents has become a notable global phenomenon, and has been associated with numerous negative health outcomes. In order to understand the popularity of ...energy drinks among adolescents, and to target interventions, it is important to identify the determinants underpinning consumption.
Methods:
The nationally representative data (cross-sectional) were drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys, conducted in 2014 and 2018, each comprising 13- and 15-year-old Finnish adolescents (n = 7405).
Results:
Weekly energy drink consumption increased among Finnish adolescents between 2014 (18.2%) and 2018 (24.4%), especially among girls. In 2018, boys typically consumed more than girls, and 15-year-olds more than 13-year-olds. Moreover, in 2018, weekly energy drink consumption was more prevalent among 15-year-old adolescents with a non-academic educational aspiration (46.0%) than among adolescents with an academic aspiration (18.3%). Gender (boys more than girls), older age (only in 2018), less parental monitoring, lower school achievement, and a lower level of health literacy explained around 28% of the variance in weekly energy drink consumption in both years.
Conclusion:
According to the findings, interventions to decrease the energy drink consumption, should be targeted at all adolescents, but especially at those with fewer individual resources. The interventions should also pay attention to family-level factors.
Insufficient and poor sleep patterns are common among adolescents worldwide. Up to now, the evidence on adolescent sleep has been mostly informed by country-specific studies that used different ...measures and age groups, making direct comparisons difficult. Cross-national data on adolescent sleep that could inform nations and international discussions are lacking. We examined the sleep patterns of adolescents across 24 countries and by gender, age, and affluence groups.
We obtained sleep data on 165,793 adolescents (mean age 13.5 years; 50.5% girls) in 24 European and North American countries from the recent cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children surveys (2013–2014 and 2017–2018). For each country, we calculated the age-standardized mean in sleep duration, timing, and consistency and the proportions meeting sleep recommendations on school and nonschool days from self-reported bedtimes and wake times. We conducted stratified analyses by gender, age, and family affluence group.
Adolescent sleep patterns varied cross-nationally. The average sleep duration ranged between 7:47 and 9:07 hours on school days and between 9:31 and 10:22 hours on nonschool days, and the proportion of adolescents meeting sleep recommendations ranged between 32% and 86% on school days and between 79% and 92% on nonschool days. Sleep patterns by gender and affluence groups were largely similar, but older adolescents slept less and went to bed later on school days than younger adolescents in all countries.
The sleep patterns of adolescents vary across countries and sociodemographic groups. Insufficient sleep on school days is common in many countries. Public health and policy efforts to promote healthy adolescent sleep are encouraged.
Aims:
Loneliness is an important public health challenge for all ages. This study reports time trends of loneliness among adolescents over a 12-year period and analyses the strength of the ...associations between loneliness, health complaints, and medicine use.
Methods:
Data were derived from the cross-sectional Finnish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. The study population is based on a random sample of schools with 20,444 participants aged 11–15 years. The trends were analysed with a Mantel–Haenszel test, and the strength of the associations was evaluated by mixed-effects logistic and linear regressions.
Results:
An increasing prevalence in frequent loneliness (2006: 11%; 2018: 15%) was evident over the 12-year study period, especially in girls and 15-year-olds. Among all adolescents, loneliness was associated with a higher risk of recurrent health complaints and medicine use to treat the corresponding health issues, especially nervousness (odds ratio 5.8) and sleeping difficulties (odds ratio 7.6).
Conclusions:
Adolescence is a period of higher risk of frequent loneliness and associated health complaints. In this study, loneliness was common among adolescence and an increasing trend of loneliness was observed between 2006 and 2018. Also, psychosomatic health complaints and medicine use were strongly associated with loneliness. Persistent loneliness is a significant health risk and failure to resolve loneliness before entering adulthood may imply significant concerns for future well-being.
Abstract
Background
The concept of health literacy (HL) may help us to better understand the mechanisms leading to health disparities, and to focus on the factors that can be influenced. However, not ...much is yet known about how HL is related to health disparities, or whether the association exists among adolescents. The aim of the study was to examine the associations between structural stratifiers, HL and health indicators among adolescents.
Methods
The nationally representative Finnish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey data (n=3833) were collected from 13- and 15-year-old pupils in the spring of 2014. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated, and separate path models were estimated for the perceived health and health behaviour measures.
Results
HL was found to be an independent factor explaining disparities in health. Higher HL was related to positive health outcomes. HL also acted as a mediator between health behaviours and structural stratifiers, except for gender. School achievement and educational aspirations were among the factors explaining the HL level, which in turn, explained the health indicators.
Conclusion
The concept of HL is of use in understanding health disparities. In particular, HL provides a mechanism via which school achievement and educational plans affect health outcomes. Low HL places adolescents who have poor school achievement and who do not intend to continue on an academic path in an unequal position with respect to their health.
Aims: The aim of this research was to compare the levels of perceived health literacy among adolescents who do or do not participate in sports club activities. Organized sport club activities reach a ...high proportion of adolescents, and have the potential to contribute to the development of their health literacy. Methods: The cross-sectional data on health literacy among school children in Finland (aged 13 and 15, n=3852) were measured, as a part of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, using the Health Literacy for School-aged Children (HLSAC) instrument. Sports club participation and its association with health literacy were examined in relation to age, gender, family affluence, school achievement, and physical activity. The statistical analyses included cross-tabulation and the multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analyses. Results: Perceived health literacy was higher among adolescents who participated in sports club activities. This conclusion was valid for boys and girls, for both age groups, among those who were physically active 6–7 days a week, had at least moderate school achievement, and those who belonged to the middle or high affluence families. From the health literacy perspective, participation in sports club activities was especially beneficial for those having low or moderate school achievement level. Conclusions: The sports club setting may work towards equalizing health literacy differences related to school achievement. However, the clubs should ensure that access is available to as many adolescents as possible; by this means they may spread beneficial influences, supporting the development of health literacy among broader population groups.
Various studies have demonstrated the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and health and health behaviour among adolescents. However, few studies have compared the socioeconomic ...difference in adolescent smoking between countries with different stage of smoking. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescent smoking in Beijing, China and Finland through the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study.
The data used in this study were derived from the Chinese HBSC linked project survey 2008 in Beijing and the Finnish HBSC survey 2006. The final sample included 2005 Chinese and 1685 Finnish 15-year-old schoolchildren. The associations between Family Affluence Scale (FAS), as the SES measure, and adolescents' smoking behaviour, including ever smoked, weekly smoking and the early onset of smoking were examined separately in two countries through binary logistic regression.
Compared to students from the high FAS group, Chinese boys from the low FAS group were more likely to report having ever smoked (OR = 2.12, 95 % CI = 1.49-3.01) and being early onset of smoking (OR = 2.17, 95 % CI = 1.44-3.26). Finnish girls from the low FAS group were more likely to report being weekly smokers (OR = 1.68, 95 % CI = 1.07-2.65). No significant difference was found for Chinese girls and Finnish boys.
This study indicated different patterns of socioeconomic difference in smoking between Chinese and Finnish adolescents by gender and by smoking behaviour, which suggests that socioeconomic inequalities in smoking are different among adolescents in countries with different stage of smoking. Country specific policies and interventions for different target groups should be encouraged and designed for reducing the prevalence of adolescents' smoking.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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