International HBSC network expands to study health behaviours of young people

The international HBSC network is constantly expanding in order to include all European countries with the goal to study the dynamics of health and health behaviours of young people in the process of uniting Europe.

This is a unique international project held in collaboration with WHO Europe. The international HBSC network is constantly expanding in order to include all European countries with the goal to study the dynamics of health and health behaviours of young people in the process of uniting Europe. Bulgaria participated for the first time in the HBSC, together with 40 different countries and regions from Europe, Canada and USA.

The main focus of the study is on health and health behaviour, lifestyles and their social context - family structure and family affluence, peer relationships, school setting and personality characteristics. The sample is representative and consists of 4 854 students, aged 11, 13, and 15 years.

Our data confirm the main tendencies observed in the repeated international study waves. Self-rated health deteriorates with age, multiple health complaints increase, physical activity decreases, and so does the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The per cent of adolescents who report systematic cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption increases. Significant gender differences are found: girls as a whole have lower self-rated health, more health complaints and lower physical activity, especially 13- and 15-year-olds.

Bulgarian adolescents have the highest consumption of sweets and soft drinks in the international comparison. They are among the first according to moderate physical activity, at the same time they rank first on TV viewing and among the first 6 countries on playing computer games. Violence and bullying are reported at a relatively high level by schoolchildren in Bulgaria: from 10% to 20% of the students say they have been bullied incidentally by their classmates in school. It is troublesome that Bulgarian adolescents report a serious decrease in life satisfaction with age and 15-year-olds are on the second before last position among all countries participating in the study. Adolescents' health is closely related to family structure and family socioeconomic status. Changes in family structure, less time spent in shared activities, weak parental support and difficulties in communication with mothers lead to an increase of behaviours related to unhealthy life styles. The social inequalities have an impact on somatic and mental health. The schoolchildren who live with greater socioeconomic limitations, have lower self-rated health, lower life-satisfaction, more health complaints and psychological symptoms.

The study is worthy with the opportunity young people have to share experiences and attitudes concerning their health, mental and social well-being, which enables us to get deeper insight into the challenges of the process of growing up as a young person at the beginning of the 21st century.

SOURCE HBSC