Health Behaviors in School-age Children: A World Health Organization Cross-National Study
Condition: Health Behavior
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      This study is a survey (Health Behaviors in School-age Children) sponsored by the World
      Health Organization to gather information about nutrition, dieting practices, physical
      activity, injuries, violence, relationships with family and friends, perceptions of school as
      a supportive environment, alcohol and tobacco use and drug use among adolescents, and about
      the communities in which students live. The U.S. sponsors of the survey are the National
      Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

      The objectives of the international HBSC study are:

        -  To assess the prevalence of early adolescent health behaviors

        -  To identify psychosocial factors associated with adolescent behaviors

        -  To provide an opportunity for analyses of cross-national comparisons

        -  To provide an opportunity for analyses of trends in the U.S. and cross-nationally

      In addition to the above, the survey includes additional questions designed to provide
      information about areas of specific national interest, including the following:

        -  To assess the association of school, family, peers, and other environmental factors on
           health behavior and health status

        -  To assess the prevalence and identify factors associated with diet and physical activity

        -  To assess the prevalence and identify factors associated with bullying and risk
           behaviors.

      This is the third U.S. administration of the HBSC survey, previously administered in
      1997-1998 and 2001-2002.

      U.S. participants in the survey include about 15,000 students from 350 schools selected to
      take part across the country. In each school, one or two classes (about 25 students) in each
      grade 6 through 10 are picked randomly to participate. In one class period, the students
      complete the written survey, which has 80 multiple choice questions. Students do not put
      their name on the survey. When they finish the survey, the place it in an envelope and seal
      it shut. The envelopes are then put in a box. Reports will not include the names of
      participating counties, cities, school districts, schools, or students.

      The information collected from U.S. school children is compared with similar information
      collected from school children in 36 other countries. The survey is used to help set national
      priorities for school and youth programs, as well as to monitor the progress of these
      programs.
    

Detailed description: 
      The Health Behaviors in School-age Children (HBSC) survey is the only international survey of
      its type and the only national survey of adolescent health behavior in the U.S. The U.S. HBSC
      complements the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the Monitoring the Future surveys of
      older adolescents. The aims of the survey are to assess the prevalence of health behaviors
      and identify factors associated with them in a national probability sample of 6th -10th grade
      students, allowing for trend analyses and cross-national comparisons among the 37 countries
      involved in the quadrennial international HBSC surveys. This would be the third U.S.
      administration of the HBSC survey, previously administered in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002.
    

Keywords: Risk Behavior; Health Status; Adolescence; Positive Health Behaviors; Social Support; Health Behavior; Survey