Eating behavior, depression, and self-esteem in high school students.

OBJECTIVE: In a representative sample of 4700 Slovene high school students, we examined their eating behavior and its correlations with some psychosocial and psychological characteristics with the aim of identifying the main risk factors for disordered eating. METHOD: Using a questionnaire which also included Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, we compared girls (n = 2507) and boys (n = 2193) with regard to their satisfaction with their body weight, weight-reducing activities, and frequency of binge eating. We assessed their family relationships, abuse of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs, suicidal ideation, and suicidal tendences, as well as their level of depression and self-esteem. RESULTS: The results showed significant differences between girls and boys, between groups of those who were satisfied and those who were dissatisfied with their body weight, and also between groups which indulged in frequent binge eating and those which did not. CONCLUSION: Within a general population of adolescents, there is a substantial number of subjects with disordered eating behavior, some part of whom are at high risk for eating disorders.     

Psychosocial correlates of depressive symptoms among Japanese high school students.

PURPOSE: To determine the psychosocial factors associated with the presence and persistence of depressive symptoms among high school students in Okinawa, Japan. METHODS: The study sample was 3202 students from 12 public senior high schools. Students completed self-administered questionnaires from October through December 1997. We measured depressive symptomatology using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. We asked students to report whether they had depressive symptoms at any time in the immediate past week, and whether those symptoms persisted for 5-7 days. The psychosocial variables examined were life stressors, perceived social support, health practices, self-esteem, and Locus of Control. The relationship between the psychosocial factors and depressive symptoms was examined using hierarchical multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: After controlling for the effects of demographic and other psychosocial variables, presence of depressive symptoms was positively associated with life stressors in the domains of friends, family, and teachers. Similarly, persistence of depressive symptoms was also positively associated with life stressors in the domains of friends and teachers. Presence and persistence of depressive symptoms were negatively associated with positive health practices, more social support, high self-esteem, and internal Locus of Control. CONCLUSIONS: The psychosocial variables associated with presence and persistence of depressive symptoms were remarkably consistent. Life stressors might be risk factors; on the contrary, positive health practices, perceived social support, high self-esteem, and internal Locus of Control might be protective factors of depressive symptoms among Japanese adolescents.     

Risk factors for reduced visual acuity in female junior high school students: findings of a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: The purpose was to explore the risk factors for reduced visual acuity in female junior high school students that are relevant to their living habits/environment. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect data on the living habits/environment and visual acuity of female junior high school students. All the variables measured in the study were categorized into multiple, mostly two, categories, since distributions of data that are obtained at school medical examinations are often right-skewed with possible outliers; in particular, application of accurate measurement of visual acuity such as the method of refractive power was not feasible. Multiple logistic regression was employed in the analysis of data, incorporating the graphical modelling technique. Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) was used to select the best model fit for the data. RESULTS: The odds ratio for students watching TV from less than a 2 m distance relative to more than 2 m was 2.08 (95%CI 1.23-3.50) and statistically significant, after adjustment for the study time at home/cram school, reading time, sleeping time, and use of glasses/contact lenses by parents/siblings. On the other hand, after the same adjustment, the odds ratio for students watching the TV for 2 h or more relative to those watching the TV for less than 2 h was close to unity and not even selected in the final model. The results also indicated that study time at home/cram school, reading time, and use of glasses/contact lenses by parents/siblings are significantly associated with reduced visual acuity. The risks of combinations of these variables were evaluated by means of the odds ratios. CONCLUSION: We found several risk factors that are responsible for reduced visual acuity in female junior high school students. It is considered that the distance of TV viewing is the most important and yet relatively amenable to intervention for improvement to avoid reduction in visual acuity. Multivariate evaluation of the risks for visual acuity decrease was possible by means of odds ratios. Concrete suggestions can thus be made to female junior high school students to prevent decrease of visual acuity by changing the living habits/environment.     

Covariation of cigarette smoking and other health-risk behaviors among Japanese high school students: a preliminary study

This study aims to determine if cigarette smoking is associated with engaging in other health-risk behaviors among high school students in Japan. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were conducted in 1999 using a sample of 1,466 students (male: 50.5%, female: 49.5%) in grades 10 through 12 at seven public senior high schools in urban areas of Okinawa, Japan. Health-risk behaviors studiedal included cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, thinner use, sexual intercourse, suicidal ideation, nonuse of seat belts, physical inactivity, and weight loss practices. In the logistic regression models, controlled for sociodemographic variables, smoking was significantly associated with all health-risk behaviors except physical inactivity. In particular, associations of alcohol drinking and sexual intercourse with smoking were strong. Among male students, statistically significant odds ratios existed for alcohol drinking, sexual intercourse, and nonuse of seat belts. Among female students, all of the odds ratios for health-risk behaviors were statistically significant, except for physical inactivity. Generally, the odds ratios of female students were higher than those of male students. In conclusion, high school students who smoked cigarettes in this study may be at higher risk for engaging in other health-risk behaviors. Particularly, alcohol drinking and sexual intercourse are more likely to co-occur with smoking. These findings suggest that smoking prevention programs should be integrated with other health-risk behaviors.     

广州市高中和大学女生吸烟现况

了解广州市高中、大学女生吸烟现状及其尝试吸烟的影响因素,为减少女性青少年吸烟行为提供依据.方法 采用多阶段分层随机抽样方法,抽取广州市1879名高中和大学女生进行问卷调查.结果 广州市高中和大学女生的尝试吸烟率为16.14%,现在吸烟率为1.15%,常吸烟率为0.16%.与非尝试吸烟者相比,尝试吸烟者周围人群的吸烟情况严重、对自己吸烟更少感到生气、对年轻女性吸烟及“女士香烟”接受程度高、对禁止向未成年人销售香烟和禁止所有烟草广告的赞成度低.结论 广州市高中和大学女生的尝试吸烟率处于较低水平,且与同伴及家庭影响、吸烟相关态度有关.应联合学校,家庭和社会开展相关控制宣教和干预活动.     

Patterns of health-risk behavior among Japanese high school students

This study explored patterns of health-risk behaviors among Japanese high school students and examined if a cluster and an accumulation of health-risk behaviors existed. Self-administered questionnaires were employed in 1999 using a sample of 1,466 students (male 50.5%, female 49.5%) in grades 10 through 12 at seven public senior high schools in Okinawa, Japan. Health-risk behaviors studied included cigarette smoking, alcohol use, thinner use, nonuse of seat belts, suicide ideation, sexual intercourse, weight loss practices, and physical inactivity. Among male and female students, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and sexual intercourse clustered. Accumulation of these risk behaviors also occurred because the observed proportion was greater than the expected proportion assuming independent occurrence. Vocational high school students and upper graders were strongly associated with accumulation of health risk behaviors. These findings identify a high-risk target group among Japanese adolescents and suggest that preventive intervention strategies should take into consideration the cluster and accumulation of health-risk behaviors.     

School factors and smoking prevalence among high school students in Japan

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between student smoking prevalence by school and school factors. Junior and senior high schools were selected from throughout Japan using a simple random sampling. One hundred junior high schools and 50 senior high schools were randomly selected. Of these 70 junior high schools (70%) and 33 senior high schools (66%) responded to this survey. Self-administered anonymous questionnaires were completed by all enrolled students in each school. The principal of each school completed a school questionnaire about school factors. The smoking rate of male teachers was significantly related to the student smoking rate in junior high schools. This factor was still associated with the student smoking rate after adjusting for family smoking status. Surprisingly, the smoking rates for junior high school boys in schools with a school policy against teachers smoking were higher than those of schools without one. The dropout rate and the proportion of students who went on to college were significantly related to the smoking rates among senior high school students of both sexes. The regular-smoker rate of boys in schools with health education on smoking was more likely to be low. It is important to take account of school factors in designing smoking control programs for junior and senior high schools.     

Vitamin D insufficiency in Japanese female college students: a preliminary report.

Vitamin D insufficiency, a risk factor for osteoporosis, has been well investigated in elderly women worldwide, but little information has been available for younger women. This study aimed to determine serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in Japanese female college students, and to test whether there is an association between 25(OH)D and bone strength. Subjects were 77 Japanese female junior college students aged 19-24 years. Serum 25(OH)D was measured with high performance liquid chromatography. Bone strength of the calcaneus was evaluated using the osteo sono-assessment index (OSI), a combined index reflecting the bone mass, bone architecture, and elasticity, as measured by quantitative ultrasound densitometry (AOS-100, Aloka). The mean 25(OH)D concentration was 34.2 nmol/L (SD +/- 12.1). The proportion of subjects with 25(OH)D less than 30 nmol/L, a cut-off value for vitamin D insufficiency, was 31/77 (40.3%). Simple linear regression analysis showed that there was a significant linear relationship between 25(OH)D and OSI (R2 = 0.098, p = 0.0069). The association held even after adjusting for weight (partial R2 = 0.098, p = 0.0023). Body weight was also a significant predictor of OSI (partial R2 = 0.105, p = 0.0034). These results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency may be prevalent in healthy young women. Moreover, low levels of 25(OH)D in young women may adversely affect bone strength. An additional, newly designed epidemiological study with a sufficient sample size is needed to confirm the present findings.     

The contextual effect of school satisfaction on health-risk behaviors in Japanese high school students

BACKGROUND: The importance of school contextual effects on health and well-being among young people is currently recognized. This study examines the contextual effects of school satisfaction as well as the effects of individual-level school satisfaction on health-risk behaviors in Japanese high school students. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 3248 students in grades 10 through 12 at 29 public high schools throughout Okinawa, Japan. Using multilevel logistic regression models, the effects of individual- and contextual-level school satisfactions on health-risk behaviors were analyzed. The contextual-level school satisfaction was defined as satisfaction at the school level and was measured using aggregated individual scores. Behaviors studied included current smoking, current drinking, and sexual activity. RESULTS: Approximately 15%, 6%, and 5% of the total individual differences in smoking, drinking, and sexual behaviors, respectively, occurred at the school level. Students with lower school satisfaction were more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors compared with those with higher school satisfaction. After adjustment for individual-level school satisfaction and other covariates, the odds of smoking and drinking increased with decreasing contextual-level school satisfaction. However, the association of contextual school satisfaction with sexual activity did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that individual- and contextual-level school satisfactions affected smoking and drinking behaviors in Japanese high school students. However, no significant association between contextual-level school satisfaction and sexual activity was observed.     

Problem drinking and symptoms of disordered eating in female high school students

Research on the relationship between problem drinking and disordered eating in adolescent girls has produced conflicting results. This study examines this relationship using a state-of-the-art inventory for measuring eating disorder symptoms and a standardized inventory for detecting problem drinking among adolescents. Two hundred thirty-four female high school students (mean age = 15.5 years,) completed the Adolescent Drinking Index and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Girls diagnosed with an eating disorder were twice as likely to be problem drinkers than girls who were not diagnosed with an eating disorder. Regression analysis and comparisons of problem drinkers and non-problem drinkers point to the central role of body image concerns and dieting in the association of alcoholism and disordered eating among adolescent girls. Prospective studies are needed to explore the mechanisms underlying the links between drive for thinness and problem drinking. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

我国高三年级学生视力不良检出率的Meta分析

系统评价我国高三年级学生视力不良检出情况,为开展视力不良相关预防与控制工作提供科学依据.方法 计算机检索CNKI,Wanfangdata,VIP,CBM和Pubmed数据库,查找2005-2014年间发表的高三学生视力不良相关文献,采用CMA V2软件进行Meta分析.结果 最终纳入30篇文献,共计115 218名受检高三学生.Meta分析结果显示:我国高三学生视力不良合并检出率为80.9%(95% CI=78.4% ~ 83.1%).分层分析显示,高三学生视力不良检出率男、女生分别为79.6%和84.3%;东部、中部和西部地区分别为81.3%,85.3%和74.7%;城市、农村分别为82.9%和77.8%;轻度、中度和重度视力不良分别为8.8%,21.1%和48.1%;性别、研究地区、城乡、视力不良程度间差异均有统计学意义(x2值分别为174.118,310.818,72.877,2352.808,P值均<0.01).2001-2004年、2005-2008年和2009-2013年分别为76.1%,80.6%和82.8%,视力不良检出率有上升趋势(x2=293.24,P<0.0I).结论 我国高三学生视力不良检出率较高且有上升趋势,在性别、研究地区、城乡和视力不良程度间存在差异.     

上海市普通高中和职业高中学生步行手机使用情况比较

调查上海市普通高中和职业高中学生步行时使用手机现状,为提供针对性干预提供指导.方法 采用方便整群抽样法,于2018年12月选取上海市4所普通高中和2所职业高中高一年级共1 777名学生进行网上问卷调查,问卷内容包括基本人口学信息和步行相关情况.结果 不同道路环境及步行状态中,普通高中和职业高中学生分别在“等待红绿灯时”和“小区道路”使用手机频率最高(选择“较多”学生比例普通高中分别为24.6%和21.2%,职业高中分别为18.8%,21.4%),除小区道路外,所有道路环境中职业高中学生手机使用率均高于普通高中学生(x2值分别为30.47,13.22,90.72,79.01,29.88,P值均<0.01);听音乐是步行时使用手机的主要用途,步行时超过一半时间在听音乐的学生比例在普通高中和职业高中分别为31.2%,24.2%;获取信息所必须(导航等)是最主要的促进因素;近50%学生认为步行时使用手机会增加自己出行时不注意交通信号灯、路况等危险行为,且30%左右普通高中,50%职业高中学生认为崴脚、绊倒、碰撞等事件的发生与步行手机使用有关.结论 步行手机使用情况在高中生中较为常见,且在职业高中学校学生中更普遍.普通高中和职业高中学生在使用现状、主要用途、促进因素和接受教育等方面均存在差异.应根据学生特点,开展集学校教育、家长教育、同伴教育和社会教育为一体的步行安全教育,强化学生出行安全意识.     

1876名女中学生月经病相关症状流行特征调查

目的了解女中学生月经病相关症状流行特征,为青春期生殖健康教育和服务提供参考。方法采用自编调查问卷,对泉州市泉港区4所中学女生进行匿名填表调查。结果平均初潮年龄为12.29岁;痛经、月经不调、闭经的患病率分别为60.15%、48.8%、18.65%。结论女中学生存在不同程度的月经健康问题,应针对她们的现状开展青春期健康教育和提供相关服务,让女生获得更多的月经知识,提高她们处理月经问题的能力。     

Sexting among high school students in a metropolis in Ghana: an exploratory and descriptive study

ABSTRACT

The sharing of sexually explicit materials using internet-enabled devices by adolescents (sexting) is an issue of global concern. Very little is known about it in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a self-administered survey among a randomly selected group of high school students in Tema, Ghana. Students’ self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Analysis including logistic regression explored prevalence and determinants of sexting, as well as its effect on sexual behavior. Five hundred and seventy-six (53% females) students participated. About 24.7% had shared sext materials using mobile phones. The predictors of sexting were being male (adjusted OR = 6.01, 95% CI 3.49–10.35), being in a “serious” (5.91, 2.77–12.64) or “casual” (2.82, 1.67–4.75) relationship and owning a mobile phone (1.82, 1.10–3.02). Students aged >16years (1.48, 0.94-2-34) and students with low self-esteem (1.24, 0.74–2.05) were more likely to be involved in sexting. Sexters were more likely to be sexually active (3.79, 2.33–6.14). Self-gratification and social pressures were the reasons for sexting. Fear that materials could go viral, religiosity and possible reprimand were the reasons students did not engage in sexting. Sexting among adolescents in this population is high and similar to levels in developed countries. Given the possible adverse short and long-term impact, school-based interventions are needed.     

Eating habits reported by secondary school students in a city of west Turkey

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of obesity and underweight has increased in recent years due to the fact that eating and drinking habits have changed all over the world. This survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of both obesity and underweight, as well as to understand the eating and drinking habits of a group of Turkish students. METHODS: 1044 students completed the survey. Responses were analyzed, using Chi-square (chi2) test and percent (%) ratios, according to gender. Differences were considered significant for p<0.05. RESULTS: About 10% of the students (123/1044, 11.8%) were underweight, most of them were male. Most students (868/1044, 83.1%) were of the correct weight. A small percentage of the students (52/1044, 4.9%) were overweight, with just one obese student, boy. Compared to boys, girls significantly obtained higher scores when questioned on preference of bran bread (62.0% vs. 38.0%, respectively), taking pains to not gain excess weight in order not to get fat (55.6% vs. 44.4%, respectively), doing physical exercise if they felt they were gaining too much weight (54.85% vs. 45.2%, respectively), and reducing food consumption when they felt that they were gaining weight (55.0% vs. 45.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: For most people the importance of diet was obvious. This was especially reflected in the females' reports, since they reported a continual increase in their dieting and exercise behavior in an attempt to attain the contemporary ideal of being thin and physically fit.