NCJ Number
203598
Date Published
2003
Length
104 pages
Annotation
This report provides health and health-related data about United States youth in comparison to youth from other countries from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study.
Abstract
The goal of the HBSC study is to collect and analyze information regarding adolescent health and health-related behavior in the context of family, school, and peers. The United States participated in the HBSC study for the first time in 1998 in order to improve adolescent health through targeted, research-based programming. This report offers data on areas where United States adolescents’ health or health-related behaviors differ significantly from those of adolescents in other countries. Chapter 1 discusses results about overall health and well-being in youths. Boys in all countries report better health than girls in all countries; in the United States, 8 percent of boys and 13 percent of girls report not feeling healthy. Moreover, United States youth experience more stomachaches, backaches, headaches, and difficulty sleeping at least once a week. Chapter 2 offers information regarding general fitness; this chapter reports that United States youth rank in the lower half of countries for exercise frequency and rank among the lower third of countries for healthy eating behavior. Chapter 3 offers data concerning family and peer relationships; this chapter reveals that communication with parents tends to be more difficult for United States students, perhaps due to the high proportion of students who live with single parents or step parents. Chapter 4 discusses the school environment and reports that 80 percent of United States students do not enjoy school very much. Our students ranked in the bottom five countries for student who report that they take part in making school rules. Chapter 5 presents results on smoking and alcohol use. United States students are less likely to smoke than students in almost all other countries, while United States students report drinking behavior in the moderate range. Chapter 6 reports on violent behavior and reveals that 30 percent of United States youth are involved in frequent or moderate bullying behavior, either as an aggressor or a victim. Finally, the report offers a section on data in which United States youth did not differ significantly from youths in other countries and also offers a section summarizing the important findings of the study. Tables, references