Through this international report on the results of its most recent survey, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study supplies the up-to-date information needed by policy-makers at various levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and professionals in sectors such as health, education, social services, justice and recreation
The latest addition to a series of HBSC reports on young people’s health, this report presents findings from the 2009/2010 survey on the demographic and social influences on the health of young people (aged 11, 13 and 15 years) in 43 countries and regions in the WHO European Region and North America Responding to the survey, the young people described their social context (relations with family, peers and school), physical health and satisfaction with life, health behaviours (patterns of eating, tooth brushing and physical activity) and risk behaviours (use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, sexual behaviour, fighting and bullying) Statistical analyses were carried out to identify meaningful differences in the prevalence of health and social indicators by gender, age group and levels of family affluence
The aim was to provide a rigorous, systematic statistical base for describing cross-national patterns, in terms of the magnitude and direction of differences between subgroups, thus contributing to a better understanding of the social determinants of health and well-being among young people, and providing the means to help protect and promote their health

Social determinants of health and well-being among young people: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2009/2010 survey.

Background: Understanding how exercise influences health is important in designing public health interventions. At present, evidence suggests that there is a positive relationship between exercise and health. However, whether this relationship is partly due to the stress-moderating impact of exercise has been less frequently investigated although more and more people are taxed by stressful life circumstances. Methods: A comprehensive review of studies testing the potential of exercise as a stress-buffer was conducted (including literature from 1982 to 2008). The findings are based on a narrative review method. Specific criteria were taken into account to evaluate causality of the evidence. Results: About half of the studies reported at least partly supportive results in the sense that people with high exercise levels exhibit less health problems when they encounter stress. The causality analyses show that stress-moderation effects were consistently found in different samples and with different methodologi...

Review article: do exercise and fitness protect against stress-induced health complaints? A review of the literature.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: University students represent the national capital and investment for the future, with an implicit mission both for their families and for society as a whole. However, they face multiple stressors such as academic overload, constant pressure to succeed, competition with peers and in some countries financial burden and concerns about the future. As all this may lead to psychopathology, the health of university students has been the subject of increasing focus in recent years. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple protective and risk factors are involved in the psychological well being and distress of university students. Specific risk factors for the development of psychopathology are high test anxiety, lower self-efficacy, as well as certain personality traits. Moreover, some students arrive at college with already existing mental health problems. The most frequent mental disorders among students are substance abuse, depression, self-harm and suicide, eating and anxiety disorders. SUMMARY: Acquiring and improving knowledge about the student population is a crucial factor in the development of mental health promotion programs in order to meet their needs and to help them cope with various problems. Better understanding and care of the personality profile of university students can be helpful in academic and career choice and prevention of future mental health problems. Language: en

Personality and psychopathology of university students

Daily Morning Running for 3 Weeks Improved Sleep and Psychological Functioning in Healthy Adolescents Compared With Controls

OBJECTIVE: To assess associations of the number of parent stressors and parent-perceived stress with obesity and related behaviors in their children. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used data from the 2006 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey in which 2119 parents/caregivers answered questions about themselves and their children (ages 3–17 years). Survey data were used to assess the main exposure variables: the number of stressors (measured using a stressor index) and parent-perceived stress (the response to a general stress question); child covariates (age, race/ethnicity, health quality, and gender); adult covariates (education, BMI, gender, poor sleep quality) and study outcomes (child obesity, fast-food consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity). To account for developmental differences, analyses were also stratified by age group (3–5, 6–8, 9–12, and 13–17 years). Analyses used multiple logistic regression, with results expressed as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The number of parent stressors was related to child obesity in unadjusted (1.12, 1.03–1.22, P = .007) and adjusted models (1.12, 1.03–1.23, P = .010). Parent-perceived stress was related to fast-food consumption in unadjusted (1.07, 1.03–1.10, P CONCLUSIONS: The number of parent stressors was directly related to child obesity. Parent-perceived stress was directly related to child fast-food consumption, an important behavioral indicator of obesity risk. Clinical care models and future research that address child obesity should explore the potential benefits of addressing parent stressors and parent-perceived stress.

Influence of stress in parents on child obesity and related behaviors.

The acculturation process presents numerous challenges that could benefit or adversely affect immigrants’ health practices. The goal of this review was to present a systematic summary of studies examining the relationship between acculturation and physical activity among immigrants and ethnic minority populations. Systematic review based on 44 original studies found in electronic databases (Psychinfo/Psyndex, Eric, Pubmed/Medline, Web of Science, SportDiscus). Studies were eligible if they were written in English, German or French, incorporated a measure of acculturation and physical activity, exercise, or sport as independent and dependent variables, and provided statistical information to judge the level of significance. The 44 studies found included 760,242 participants. A narrative synthesis was performed. Causality of effects was examined based on seven criteria: consistency, strength of associations, specificity of effects, temporality, gradient, plausibility and experimental evidence. Acculturation was associated with higher leisure time physical activity in 57% of all studies (even after controlling for potential confounds), independent of participants’ gender, age and ethnic background. The main limitations of this review are that findings were not weighted for sample size and that publication biases might have contributed to an overestimation of the relationships. Prevention programs aimed at stimulating participation in physical activity among immigrants should give priority to individuals with low acculturation levels and it should consider culturally specific beliefs and constraints. Additionally, prevention programs could make an effort to promote acculturation among immigrants. Future studies should use longitudinal designs which include objective assessments of physical activity and which use multidimensional and bidirectional definitions of acculturation.

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Acculturation and physical activity among immigrants: a systematic review

Objective: Stressful experiences occupy a central role in most etiological models of developmental psychopathology. Stress alone, however, insufficiently explains negative health outcomes. This raises the question why some children and adolescents are more vulnerable to the development of psychopathological symptoms thanothers.Theprimarypurposeofthisresearchwastodemonstrate whetherleisuretimephysicalactivityandself-esteemprotectagainst stress-induced health problems. Method: The findings are based on a cross-sectional study of407 Swissboys andgirls (M=14.01years). All variables are self-reported. Analyses of covariance were applied to test for main and moderatoreffects.Results:The findingssuggest that school-based stress and psychosomatic complaints are important issues during adolescence. The results show that a higher levelofpsychosomaticcomplaintsaccompaniesstress.Surprisingly, psychosomatic complaints and physical activity were unrelated. Likewise, no association was found between physical activity and stress. In contrast, students with high self-esteem reported significantly less complaints and a lower extent of perceived stress. Finally, the results do not support the stress-moderation hypothesis. Neither physical activity nor self-esteem buffered against the detrimental effects of school-based stress on psychosomatic health. Conclusion: The findings lend support to previous research with German-speaking samples but are in marked contrast to AngloSaxon studies, which generally support the role of physical activity as a moderator of the health–illness relationship. In this investigation, developmental features and methodological limitations may have accounted for the insignificant results. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short communication "Don't crack under pressure!"—Do leisure time physical activity and self-esteem moderate the relationship between school-based stress and psychosomatic complaints?

Uwe Pühse

Papers

Acculturation and physical activity among immigrants: a systematic review

Short communication "Don't crack under pressure!"—Do leisure time physical activity and self-esteem moderate the relationship between school-based stress and psychosomatic complaints?