Tobacco Use Documenting Policy and Its Association With Pupils’ Smoking and Their Perception of the Enforcement of School Smoking Bans in Finland
Finnish national data sets on schools (N = 496) and pupils (N = 74,143; 14–16 years) were used to study whether a systematic documenting policy for the violations of school smoking bans was associated with pupils’ smoking and their perceptions on the enforcement of smoking bans. Attending a school with a systematic documenting policy was associated with perceptions that smoking is prohibited and restrictions monitored, with lower levels of smoking in the vicinity of the school during the school day, but not with smoking prevalence. Findings suggest that a consistent documenting policy could be an effective tool for reducing pupils’ smoking in schools.
Secular trends in youth physical activity and parents' socioeconomic status from 1977 to 2005.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between youth physical activity and family socioeconomic status (FSES) over 28 years. As a part of the Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey a random sample of 12-, 15- and 18-year-old boys and girls participated in a nation-wide survey by answering questions every second year, from 1977 to 2005, on, among other things, leisure time physical activity and sport participation. Father’s education represented FSES. The results showed that there were no significant or only small differences between the high and low FSES groups in unorganised physical activity during the study period. Participation in physical activities organized…
Questionnaire-assessed moderate to vigorous physical activity of the Finnish youth in 1979-2005
The purpose of the study was to investigate the time trend of questionnaire-assessed moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among 12-18-year-old Finnish boys and girls from 1979 to 2005. The MVPA was defined as "at least moderately breathtaking and sweating in leisure time physical activities more than 3 times week." Data were based on the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, which is a biannual, nation-wide survey on adolescent health and health-related lifestyle in Finland. The nationally representative samples were drawn from the Finnish Population Register Centre. The numbers of participants varied from 2832 to 8390 and the response rates from 91% (girls, 1981) to 58% (boys, 2…
Use of dietary supplements and anabolic-androgenic steroids among Finnish adolescents in 1991-2005.
Background : The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence, trends and associated factors of dietary supplements (DS) and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) use among Finnish adolescents. Methods: The sample comprised 30 511 adolescents aged 12–18 years, of which 22 519 (74%) answered a questionnaire. We also studied associations between 14 socioeconomic, health and health behavioural variables and DS and AAS use by logistic regression. Results: The proportion of respondents using DS was 45% during the past year and it increased linearly by age. Vitamins (37%) and herbal products (13%) were the most common DSs. In 1991, 9% of the boys aged 16–18 years reported protein use, while the f…
Adolescent health literacy in 3 European cities and its association with smoking and smoking beliefs
Abstract Background Beliefs about smoking have been found to be associated with smoking behaviour. Similarly, health literacy (HL) as a competence to make health-related decisions has been identified as an independent factor to explain differences in smoking. However, little is known about adolescents’ HL in different countries, and how HL is associated with health behaviour and health-related beliefs. The aim of this study is to describe the levels of HL in three European cities, and how HL is associated with smoking and beliefs about smoking consequences. Methods In 2016 as part of SILNE-R study, 5,088 adolescents aged 14 to 16 years answered a school survey in Amersfoort (NL), Hanover (G…
Immigrant status, gender, and school burnout in Finnish lower secondary school students : A longitudinal study
The aim of this longitudinal study among 9223 students from grade 7 and grade 9 (age 13–14 and 15–16) was to assess whether immigrant status and gender are associated with the level and change (slope) in school burnout among lower secondary school students in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Ninety-seven percent of the variation in school burnout was attributable to individual factors. Both the intercept (2.3, p < 0.001) and slope (0.5, p < 0.001) of school burnout were statistically significant. The slope showed increasing school burnout from grades 7–9. School burnout increased more in girls than in boys. Initially apparent higher school burnout among students who had immigrated to …
Academic well-being and smoking among 14- to 17-year-old schoolchildren in six European cities
It is well established that poor academic performance is related to smoking, but the association between academic well-being and smoking is less known. We measured academic well-being by school burnout and schoolwork engagement and studied their associations with smoking among 14- to 17-year-old schoolchildren in Belgium, Germany, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal. A classroom survey (2013 SILNE survey, N = 11,015) was conducted using the Short School Burnout Inventory and the Schoolwork Engagement Inventory. Logistic regression, generalized linear mixed models, and ANOVA were used. Low schoolwork engagement and high school burnout increased the odds for daily smoking in all cou…
Prevalence of adolescent physical activity-related injuries in sports, leisure time, and school: the National Physical Activity Behaviour Study for children and Adolescents
Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of adolescent physical activity-related injuries in sports club activities, leisure time physical activity and school-based physical activity. The secondary aim was to investigate the differences in the prevalence of physical activity -related injuries between years 2014 and 2016. In addition, we set out to study the associations between age, sex and the frequency of physical activity and injury prevalence. Methods This cross-sectional study is based on the National Physical Activity Behaviour Study for Children and Adolescents (LIITU in Finnish) conducted in years 2014 and 2016. The subjects completed an online question…
The role of health literacy in the association between academic performance and substance use.
Abstract Background To address social inequalities in adolescent substance use and consequent disparities in health, it is important to identify the mechanisms of the association between substance use and academic performance. We study the role of health literacy (HL) in the association between academic performance and weekly smoking, monthly alcohol use and cannabis ever-use among adolescents in Europe. Methods SILNE-R school survey data, which was collected in 2016–17 with paper-and-pencil-method from Hanover (GE), Amersfoort (NL) and Tampere (FI), were used (N = 5088, age 13–19). Health Literacy for School-aged Children instrument was used to assess students’ HL. Logistic regression anal…
Trends in leisure time physical activity among young people in Finland, 1977—2007
The decline in physical activity among young people has been discussed in the media during recent decades, although the scientific evidence for this has been scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate trends over 30 years in leisure time physical activity of Finnish boys and girls aged 12, 14, 16 and 18 years from 1977 to 2007. The data were obtained from the Finnish Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey. In the survey nationwide samples have been drawn every second year (number of respondents has varied from 2832 to 8390) since 1977. Leisure time physical activity was measured through questions concerning organized sport and unorganized leisure time physical activity. Participation…
Dental services utilization between 1977 and 1995 by Finnish adolescents of different socioeconomic levels.
Equal distribution of health care services has long been a major goal of health policy in the Nordic countries. According to these guidelines, every child is expected to have an examination and treatment at least every second year. The aim of this study was to analyze the trends and, in particular, the socioeconomic differences in dental visits between 1977 and 1995. The data were collected as part of a nationwide research program, the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey, which began in 1977. Every second year a self-administered questionnaire was mailed to a representative sample of 14-, 16- and 18-year-old Finns. The sample sizes in the surveys varied from 2422 to 9556, making a total …
Adolescent sexual behavior during periods of increase and decrease in the abortion rate.
OBJECTIVE: To study changes in adolescent sexual behavior in periods of increase (1994-2000) and decrease (2001-2007) in the abortion rate. METHODS: School surveys with self-administered questionnaires were carried out annually among eighth graders (mean age 14.8 years) and ninth graders (mean age 15.8 years) (N=286665) in 1996/1997 and 2006/2007. Schools participated biennially. The proportions of respondents reporting noncoital (kissing light petting heavy petting) and coital (ever had sexual intercourse intercourse at least 10 times at least three partners) sexual experience and nonuse of contraception were studied. RESULTS: Among adolescents both coital and noncoital sexual experiences …
Psychosocial Problems, Indoor Air-Related Symptoms, and Perceived Indoor Air Quality among Students in Schools without Indoor Air Problems: A Longitudinal Study
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