National level wealth inequality and socioeconomic inequality in adolescent mental wellbeing

Abstract Background Previous research established a positive association between national income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health, but little is known about the extent to which national level inequalities in accumulated financial resources (i.e. wealth) are associated with these health inequalities. Therefore, we examined the association between national wealth inequality and income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent mental wellbeing. Methods Data were from 17 countries participating in three successive waves (2010, 2014 and 2018) of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. We combined individual-level data…

Exploring in-class physical activity levels during physical education lessons in Finland

This research aimed to measure in-class physical activity levels during physical education in grades seven to nine, and to determine the influence of gender and lesson content on such activity levels. Data was collected from 96 lessons across 14 secondary schools. Heart rate data consisted of 821 valid measurements. The mean heart rate across the data set was 135 beats per minute and students engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 41% of lesson time. Students were most active during game lessons and there was an evident gender difference, with boys being more active. However, when the impact of lesson content and gender on physical activity were tested simultaneously by multi-lev…

The Development and Initial Validation of a Short, Self-Report Measure on Social Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities-A Transnational Study.

Sport has been promoted as a means of increasing the social inclusion of persons with intellectual disabilities. Suitable tools for evaluating this claim are not readily available. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report tool for use by people with intellectual disabilities regarding the social inclusion they experience in sport and in the community. A three-phase process was used. In the first phase an item bank of questionnaire items was created and field-tested with 111 participants. Initial factor analysis identified 42 items which were further evaluated in Phase 2 with 941 participants from six European countries. Construct validity was established first through Exploratory …

Mental health profiles of Finnish adolescents before and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had implications for adolescents’ interpersonal relationships, communication patterns, education, recreational activities and well-being. An understanding of the impact of the pandemic on their mental health is crucial in measures to promote the post-pandemic recovery. Using a person-centered approach, the current study aimed to identify mental health profiles in two cross-sectional samples of Finnish adolescents before and after the peak of the pandemic, and to examine how socio-demographic and psychosocial factors, academic expectations, health literacy, and self-rated health are associated with the emerging profiles. Methods and findings Surv…

Preparing physical and health education pre-service teachers to support students’ physical activity and wellbeing during the school day

Increasingly, physical education teachers are expected to become the cog in an ever-expanding physical activity (PA) promotion wheel. This requires such teachers to be equipped with new knowledge a...

National-Level Wealth Inequality and Socioeconomic Inequality in Adolescent Mental Well-Being: A Time Series Analysis of 17 Countries

Purpose: Although previous research has established a positive association between national income inequality and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health, very little is known about the extent to which national-level wealth inequalities (i.e., accumulated financial resources) are associated with these inequalities in health. Therefore, this study examined the association between national wealth inequality and income inequality and socioeconomic inequality in adolescents' mental well-being at the aggregated level. Methods: Data were from 17 countries participating in three consecutive waves (2010, 2014, and 2018) of the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. …

Loneliness and subjective health complaints among school-aged children

Aim: The first aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of loneliness and subjective health complaints (SHCs) among school-aged children in Finland. The second aim was to analyse to what extent perceived loneliness explains any variance in SHCs among school-aged children. Method: A representative sample of 5925 Finnish children and adolescents from grades 5 ( Mage=11.8 years), 7 ( Mage=13.8) and 9 ( Mage=15.8) completed the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the prevalence of health complaints and loneliness. Structural equation modelling was used to test how strongly loneliness was associated with SHCs. Results: The p…

Video-reflektoinnin ja observointimenetelmien hyödyntäminen liikunnanopettajakoulutuksessa

Liikunnanopettajalta edellytetään pedagogisia ja didaktisia taitoja sekä herkkyyttä reagoida vaihteleviin opetustapahtumiin. Oman työn kehittäminen ja ongelmallisten tilanteiden ratkaiseminen vaatii opettajalta taitoa reflektoida opetusta ja muuttaa tarvittaessa opetuskäyttäytymistään. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoitus oli selvittää, miten liikunnanopiskelijat reflektoivat omaa opetuskäyttäytymistään Tutkiva opettaja -kurssilla, jossa analysoidaan omaa opetuskäyttäytymistä erilaisia observointimenetelmiä ja videoita apuna käyttäen. Tavoitteena oli ohjata opiskelijaa reflektoimaan omaa toimintaansa liikunnan opetustilanteessa ja sitä kautta vahvistaa opiskelijan käsitystä itsestään opettajana vahv…

Lasten ja nuorten sosiaalisen median ongelmatilanteet ja tarvittavat turvataidot

Kouluikäiset lapset ja nuoret viettävät päivittäin useita tunteja erilaisilla sosiaalisen median alustoilla (EU Kids, 2020). Keskeisenä kasvu- ja toimintaympäristönä sosiaalinen media (some) luo mahdollisuuksia muun muassa toimijuudelle, oppimiselle ja vuorovaikutukselle, mutta myös erilaisten ongelmatilanteiden rakentumiselle ja kohtaamiselle. Nettikiusaaminen, virheellisen tiedon tai vaarallisten some-haasteiden kohtaamisnen ovat esimerkkejä yleisistä somen ongelmatilanteista. Sosiaalisen median turvataidot ovat nykyajan kansalaistaitoja, joita voidaan opettaa kouluissa esimerkiksi terveystiedon oppitunneilla pelillisin keinoin. nonPeerReviewed

Valmentajan vuorovaikutustapojen yhteydet joukkuevoimistelijoiden harjoituskokemuksiin

Tarkastelimme valmentajien ja joukkuevoimistelijoiden sanallisia vuorovaikutustapoja ja niiden yhteyksiä joukkuevoimistelijoiden arvioimaan motivaatioilmastoon, osallistumisaktiivisuuteen ja viihtymiseen harjoituksissa. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 4 naisvalmentajan videokuvatuista harjoituksista ja heidän 37 joukkuevoimistelijansa kyselyaineistosta. Aineistoja käsittelimme systemaattisesti havainnoiden sekä kuvailevien tilastomenetelmien ja korrelaatiokertoimien avulla. Videohavaintoihimme pohjautuvista vuorovaikutuskirjauksista suurin osa oli valmentajan antamaa palautetta. Korjaava palaute (2/3 palautteesta) korreloi voimistelijoiden vähäiseksi arvioimaan osallistumisaktiivisuuteen ja viihty…

Nordic adolescents responding to demanding survey scales in boring contexts: Examining straightlining

Introduction Straightlining, or identical responses across all items within a multi-item scale, is often taken as an indication that responses to all items in a questionnaire are of poor quality. The purpose of this study was to examine straightlining on two scales: The Sense of Unity Scale (SUS) and the short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS). Methods Data stem from the 2017–2018 data collections in four Nordic countries of the Health Behaviour in School-children study (HBSC) (15-year-old students only; 50.9% girls; n = 5928). Data were weighted to adjust for oversampling of Swedish-speaking Finnish students and to equalize sample size across countries. The…

Loneliness, subjective health complaints, and medicine use among Finnish adolescents 2006-2018.

Aims: Loneliness is an important public health challenge for all ages. This study reports time trends of loneliness among adolescents over a 12-year period and analyses the strength of the associations between loneliness, health complaints, and medicine use. Methods: Data were derived from the cross-sectional Finnish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. The study population is based on a random sample of schools with 20,444 participants aged 11–15 years. The trends were analysed with a Mantel–Haenszel test, and the strength of the associations was evaluated by mixed-effects logistic and linear regressions. Results: An increasing prevalence …

Study Health with HBSC : kaikille avoin sovellus terveystiedon opetuksen tueksi

Ota käyttöön uusi maksuton sovellus: Study Health with HBSC! Hyödynnä sitä terveystiedon opetuksessa tai vaikkapa matematiikan, englannin ja ruotsin opiskelussa. Sovellus tuo käyttöösi WHO-Kouulaistutkimuksen datan vuosilta 2002-2018. nonPeerReviewed

Finnish late adolescents’ physical activity during COVID-19 spring 2020 lockdown

Background Physical activity (PA) is recognised as one of the leading and effective strategies to prevent non-communicable diseases that boosts the immune system to fight against diseases. Closures of schools, sport clubs and facilities because of COVID-19 reduced the opportunities to participate in PA. We aimed to examine physical activity levels of late adolescents, the contexts to be physical active and its changes during the spring 2020 lockdown. Methods A national representative sample of late adolescents in general upper secondary school (n = 2408, females = 64%, mean age = 17.2y, SD = 0.63) completed self-report online surveys on PA behaviours between March and June 2020. Multinomina…

Lasten ja nuorten liikuntakäyttäytyminen Suomessa : LIITU-tutkimuksen tuloksia 2018

School Satisfaction and School Pressure in the WHO European Region and North America: An Analysis of Time Trends (2002–2018) and Patterns of Co-occurrence in 32 Countries

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the trends between 2002 and 2018 in school pressure and school satisfaction among 15-year-old students, across countries and by gender, in the WHO European region and North America, and explore whether there are variations between countries and by gender in the co-occurrence of school pressure and school satisfaction. Methods: Data from the 32 countries that participated in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (HBSC) study between 2002 and 2018 were used. Statistical analyses included ttests, binary logistic regression analyses, and chi-square tests, as required by each of the study aims. Results: School satisfaction tended to i…

Uusia ajatuksia liikunnanopettajuuteen nousevan auringon maasta

Vapaa-ajan fyysisen aktiivisuuden ja sukupuolen yhteys liikuntatunnin kuormittavuuteen yläkouluikäisillä

Liikunnan ja fyysisen aktiivisuuden terveysvaikutuksista tiedetään laajalti ja lukuisia toimenpiteitä koulupäivän aikaisen fyysisen aktiivisuuden lisäämiseen on toteutettu niin Suomessa kuin useimmissa länsimaissa. Toistaiseksi haasteena on ollut tavoittaa ne nuoret, joiden arkielämään ei kuulu säännöllinen liikunnan harrastaminen. Koulun liikuntatunneille osallistuvat kuitenkin kaikki oppilaat, myös vapaaajallaan vähän liikkuvat. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, millä sykealueella yläkoulun oppilaat liikkuvat liikuntatunnilla ja kuinka suuren osan tunnista sykkeet ovat terveyttä edistävällä tasolla. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin oppilaan vapaa-ajan fyysisen aktiivisuuden ja sukupuolen yhteyt…

Nuorten liikuntakäyttäytyminen Suomessa : LIITU-tutkimuksen tuloksia 2020

Factorial Validity and Reliability of the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire

This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of an instrument designed to measure student perceptions of curricular goals in physical education, the Curricular Goals in Physical Education Questionnaire. Participants were 879 Finnish students from grades 7 to 9 (412 girls, 467 boys; mean age 13.81). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on Sample 1 (n = 287), revealing a four-factor solution and suggesting that factor structure be cross-validated with confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (n = 592). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable fit and supported the four-factor model. Tests for gender invariance supported configural, metric, and scalar invaria…

Liikkumisen yhteys lasten ja nuorten mielenterveyteen ja yksinäisyyteen

The Association between Loneliness, Mental Well-Being, and Self-Esteem among Adolescents in Four Nordic Countries

Positive mental health is central to adolescent well-being. The present study examines the prevalence of loneliness and positive mental health indicators (mental well-being and self-esteem) in four Nordic countries and associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and high self-esteem. This study is based on data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study which was conducted in 2018 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. Participants were 5883 15-year-old boys and girls. To examine the associations between loneliness, mental well-being, and self-esteem, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied. In the comparison of Nordic countries, the prevalence of lonel…

Socialt stöd, känsla av ensamhet och psykiska besvär bland finlandssvenska ungdomar

I den här studien utforskades ifall det förekommer sociodemografiska skillnader i upplevelse av psykiska besvär, socialt stöd och känsla av ensamhet bland finlandssvenska ungdomar. Det undersöktes även ifall ungdomarnas upplevelse av psykiska besvär kan förklaras med familje-, kamrat- och klasskamratstöd samt känsla av ensamhet. Utöver det utforskades ifall samband mellan socialt stöd och psykiska besvär kan förklaras med känsla av ensamhet.
 Som datamaterial användes WHO:s skolelevstudie (WHO-Koululaistutkimus) från 2018 med ett deltagarantal på 599 svenskspråkiga elever från årskurs 5, 7 och 9 (Målder = 11,9/14,0/15,9; svarsprocent 38 %). Som statistiska analysmetoder användes Pearso…

Item response theory and differential test functioning analysis of the HBSC-Symptom-Checklist across 46 countries

Abstract Background The Symptom Checklist (SCL) developed by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is a non-clinical measure of psychosomatic complaints (e.g., headache and feeling low) that has been used in numerous studies. Several studies have investigated the psychometric characteristics of this scale; however, some psychometric properties remain unclear, among them especially a) dimensionality, b) adequacy of the Graded Response Model (GRM), and c) measurement invariance across countries. Methods Data from 229,906 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 from 46 countries that participated in the 2018 HBSC survey were analyzed. Adolescents were selected using representative s…

Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health complaints : a multilevel latent class analysis in 45 countries

AbstractOur study evaluated the relationship between adolescent health complaints and socioeconomic position in 45 countries. Data are from the 2017/2018 international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey which used proportionate sampling among adolescents aged 11 to 15 years old (n=228,979). Multilevel, multinomial regression analysis assessed the association between the multilevel latent classes with socioeconomic status (SES; at the household and country level). Three distinct latent classes were identified: No Complaints, Psychological Complaints, and a Physical and Psychological Complaints class; where, low household SES was highest for the physical and psychological complai…

On the art of doing surveys among adolescents

Abstract The aim is to discuss methodological challenges for research on adolescent positive mental health. A first consideration is which questions should the measurement instrument answer. In the clinical context it should have the properties of giving enough information for making a diagnosis of high quality. In the public health context, its objective may be to give information that enables the researcher to describe trends at the population level and provide guidance on areas of intervention. The HBSC study is monitoring the health and health behaviour of school-aged children in a public health context. It is a population survey, defined by the form of data collection and the method of…

Koululiikunnan pedagogiset ulottuvuudet -mittarin validiteetin ja reliabiliteetin tarkastelu konfirmatoristen faktorimallien avulla

Setting the scene: controversies on trends in mental health among adolescents in the Nordic countries

Abstract At present there are different positions regarding trends in adolescent mental health. Can we trust trend data on the mental health among adolescents in the Nordic countries? Some question the trustworthiness of adolescent self-reports, which describe ordinary daily hassles as health complaints, which cannot be interpreted as signs of mental disorders. In addition, today there is a more open climate for talking about mental issues, which can lead to an overestimation of the prevalence of mental disorders. Statistics on mental health services statistics report increased psychopharmaceutic prescriptions as well as consumption of professional care. Such data argues for increased gover…

Problematic Social Media Use and Health among Adolescents

1) Background: The use of social media has become an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives. However, the intensive use of social media can develop into a health-threatening addiction, but unfavourable health consequences can occur even with less use. Social media user groups categorized as no-risk, moderate risk (of developing problematic behaviour), and problematic use were examined with reference to their prevalence, their associations with individual determinants and health, and the increased health risk between groups. (2) Methods: The Finnish nationally representative HBSC data (persons aged 11, 13, and 15, n = 3408) and descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis were appl…

On the time trends among school-aged children in the Nordic countries

Abstract Long-term trends in mental health of school-aged children can be analysed in the HBSC study. In Sweden the proportion of the children that report at least two weekly health complaints during the last six months has increased from the first data collection 1985/1985 to the latest 2017/2018 among all age groups for both girls and boys. Among the 11-year-old it reached 41 % among girls and 30 % boys, and among 15-year-old girls 62 % and boys 35 %. Can we trust this? The prevalence of two or more weekly health complaints showed large differences by country over time and especially in 2014, when Iceland and Sweden showed an almost 10%-point larger prevalence of multiple weekly symptoms …

Additional file 1 of Item response theory and differential test functioning analysis of the HBSC-Symptom-Checklist across 46 countries

Additional file 1: Table A1. Sample size,percent females, mean, and standard deviation of age. Table A2. Distribution of the HBSC-SCL items (1-4). Table A3. Distribution of the HBSC-SCLitems (5-8). Table A4. Goodness offit statistics for the bifactor GRM. Table A5. Bifactor statistical indices. Table A6. Multigroup Model Fit. Table A7.Monte Carlo simulation results: Mean parameter stability. Figure A1. HBSC-SCL bar charts. Figure A2. HBSC-SCL polychoric correlations. Figure A3. Test for local dependency of the unidimensional GRM. Figure A4. Item fit statistics of theunidimensional GRM. Figure A5. Residualplots of the unidimensional GRM for ALB. FigureA6. Residual plots of the unidimensional…

Profiles of Internet Use and Health in Adolescence : A Person-Oriented Approach

(1) Background: Internet use has become an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives. It is important to understand how adolescents use the internet, and how this use is associated with demographic factors and health from a person-oriented perspective. (2) Methods: The study applied the Finnish nationally representative HBSC data (persons aged 11, 13, and 15, n = 3408), descriptive observation, latent class analysis, and multinomial logistic regression analysis. (3) Results: Entertainment activities (listening to music) and socially oriented activities (liking posts, talking online) were the most prevalent among adolescents, but gender differences emerged. Five different internet user profi…

Adolescents’ online communication and well-being : Findings from the 2018 health behavior in school-aged children (HBSC) study

Background: Digital transformation has influenced all areas of adolescents’ lives, including the ways adolescents maintain friendships. Interpersonal communication is one of the most common activities while online. Online communication may provide adolescents with opportunities to expand their social contacts, but these encounters can be risky, especially when the communication is with unknown people on the internet. This study examined the associations between different forms of online communication behavior and well-being. Materials and methods: Data were collected from Finnish adolescents as part of the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study in 2018. The participants were 3…

Liikunnanopetus ja opetuksen analysointi

LIITU 2018 -tutkimus : liikunnan merkitysten kirjo on kaventunut

Hieman reilu kolmasosa suomalaislapsista ja -nuorista liikkui suosituksen mukaan – toimintarajoitteita kokevista joka neljäs. Lasten ja nuorten liikunnalle antamien merkitysten kirjo oli kaventunut ja esteet vahvistuneet, vaikka koettu pätevyys ja liikuntamotivaatio olivat korkealla. Suurin osa lapsista ja nuorista kannatti urheilun eettisten sääntöjen noudattamista. Säännöllinen liikkuminen oli myönteisesti yhteydessä koettuun terveyteen. Säännöllisesti liikkuvilla oli myös vähemmän yksinäisyyden kokemuksia. nonPeerReviewed

Nuorten yksinäisyys on yhteydessä lisääntyneeseen oireiluun ja lääkkeiden käyttöön

LÄHTÖKOHDAT Yksinäisyys on merkittävä riski nuoren terveydelle. Selvitimme suomalaisnuorten kokeman yksinäisyyden yleisyyttä ja yhteyksiä psykosomaattiseen oireiluun sekä lääkkeiden käyttöön. MENETELMÄT Aineistona käytettiin kansallisesti edustavaa WHO-Koululaistutkimusta, johon vastasi 1 798 oppilasta 7. ja 9. luokilta keväällä 2018. Tilastollisina menetelminä käytettiin2-testiä ja 95 %:n luottamusvälitarkastelua. TULOKSET Yksinäisyys yleistyi yläkoulun aikana, ja lähes joka kuudes 15-vuotias tunsi itsensä vähintään melko usein yksinäiseksi. Yksinäiset nuoret raportoivat muita yleisemmin pää-, vatsa- ja selkäkipua sekä hermostuneisuutta ja nukahtamisvaikeuksia. He käyttivät niihin lääkkeit…

Training and motivation in childhood and adolescence in Finnish elite footballers at different phases of their athletic careers

This study retrospectively explored 1) early specialization and hours of training in childhood and adolescence and 2) the interrelations of different types of motivation in four samples of elite male footballers in different phases of their athletic careers (N=91): Finnish first-tier players (n=23), youth national team players (U19 and U21; n=33), national team players (n=22), and Finland’s so-called Golden Generation players of the 1990s and 2000s (n=13). For this study, the Golden Generation was defined by FAF as footballers who had played at least ten official World cup or European championship qualifying games between the years 1996‒2008 and played in international top leagues during th…