Trends in health complaints from 2002 to 2010 in 34 countries and their association with health behaviours and social context factors at individual and macro-level

Veronika Ottova-Jordan*, Otto R. F. Smith, Lilly Augustine, Inese Gobina, Katharina Rathmann, Torbjorn Torsheim, Joanna Mazur, Raili Valimaa, Franco Cavallo, Helena Jericek Klanscek, Wilma Vollebergh, Charlotte Meilstrup, Matthias Richter, Irene Moor, Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, Positive Hlth Focus Grp

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: This article describes trends and stability over time in health complaints in adolescents from 2002 to 2010 and investigates associations between health complaints, behavioural and social contextual factors at individual level and economic factors at macro-level. Methods: Comprising N=510 876 11-, 13- and 15-year-old children and adolescents in Europe, North America and Israel, data came from three survey cycles of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Age-and gender-adjusted trends in health complaints were examined in each country by means of linear regression. By using the country as the random effects variable, we tested to what extent individual and contextual variables were associated with health complaints. Results: Significant associations are stronger for individual level determinants (e.g. being bullied, smoking) than for determinants at macro-level (e.g. GDP, Gini), as can be seen by the small effect sizes (less than 5% for different trends). Health complaints are fairly stable over time in most countries, and no clear international trend in health complaints can be observed between 2002 and 2010. The most prominent stable determinants were being female, being bullied, school pressure and smoking. Conclusion: Factors associated with health complaints are more related to the proximal environment than to distal macro-level factors. This points towards intensifying targeted interventions, (e.g. for bullying) and also targeting specific risk groups. The comparably small effect size at country-level indicates that country-level factors have an impact on health and should not be ignored.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-89
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Journal of Public Health
Volume25
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2015

Funding

The data collection for each HBSC survey is funded at the national level. Financial support is provided by various government ministries, research foundations and other funding bodies.

Keywords

  • SUBJECTIVE HEALTH
  • PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY
  • YOUNG ADULTHOOD
  • ADOLESCENTS
  • SCHOOL
  • MULTILEVEL
  • GENDER
  • INEQUALITIES
  • DEPRESSION
  • STRESS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Trends in health complaints from 2002 to 2010 in 34 countries and their association with health behaviours and social context factors at individual and macro-level'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this