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Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland

WELCOME

Welcome to Ireland's Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) website. This site is intended for all those interested in the HBSC study. In particular health professionals, fellow researchers, teachers, parents and children alike will find valuable information throughout this website.

New Report Launched: HBSC Great Britain and Ireland Report.
11th November 2009

A new report focusing on data collected from young people in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales is launched today. The report presents data from the 2006 HBSC survey and expands on the findings from the international report Inequalities in Young People's Health (Currie et al, 2008), with additional variables and prevalence rates that allows more comprehensive and focussed comparisons to be made between the four countries.

Download the full report here:
Young People's Health in Great Britain and Ireland: Findings from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Survey, 2006. download (3.1 MB)

Download the Press release download (51.5KB)

European Conference on health promoting schools

Message from Goof Buijs, NIGZ: 'On behalf of the organisers of the 3rd European Conference on health promoting schools: 'Better schools through health', held on 15-17 June 2009 in Vilnius, Lithuania, we hereby send you the final text of the Vilnius resolution. We all encourage you to send this important document to your national network and ministries and to publish it on your website.'
Vilnius Resolution download (993KB)

HBSC International Meeting

The most recent HBSC International Meeting took place in Galway from 9 ^th -11 ^th June 2009.

Planning for the largest survey to date of children and young people's health was carried out by a panel of international experts at NUI Galway. About 100 scientists gathered at NUI Galway to map out the next round of the study which will take place during 2010 in more than 43 countries and will include over 230,000 children aged 11 to 15 years. The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, will involve interviews with more than 230,000 children, aged 11-15 years. The study is carried out every four years and will involve at least 10,000 children in Ireland, says Dr Saoirse Nic Gabhainn, of the Health Promotion Research Centre in NUI Galway and Principal Investigator for the study in the Republic.

Of particular interest was the opportunity to listen to the voices of Irish young people, who showcased their projects and views on children's health and wellbeing and helped ensure that their voices are fully represented in the planning process.

The HBSC survey aims for greater understanding of health among young people, both physical and emotional, and includes information on the context of young people's lives, including families, school, communities and peer groups. These data sets will be vital to those developing policy, strategy and practice in the area of youth health and well-being in Ireland and internationally.

New Report Launched: Middle Childhood: Socio-demographic patterns in health behaviours, risk behaviours, health outcomes and social contexts of young people's health.

A new report on middle childhood has been launched, conducted by the HBSC Ireland team and published by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Middle Childhood (ages 5-12 years) is an important developmental period when children adapt to life outside of the family. Events and experiences during this time can impact on the adolescent and adult that the child becomes. Up until recently there has been a relative lack of data on this age group in Ireland and indeed worldwide. In 2006, the HBSC study, for the first time in Ireland, collected data from children in 3rd and 4th class in primary schools. This report presents findings from children on socio-demographic patterns in the health behaviours, risk behaviours, health outcomes and social contexts of young people's health. The findings are presented by age group (9 & 10 year olds), gender and social class.

Download the full report here:
Kelly, C., Molcho, M. & Nic Gabhainn, S. (2009). Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland 2006 Middle Childhood Study: Socio-demographic patterns in health behaviours, risk behaviours, health outcomes and social contexts of young people's health. Dublin: Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Department of Health and Children, Government of Ireland. download (865KB).

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2006 Factsheets now launched:

The 2006 HBSC facsheets are now available on-line ( Factsheets 2006). These factsheets comprise of 2 page summaries of some of the key findings from the 2006 HBSC survey of school-children in Ireland. Contextual information on each of the topics is also provided and includes the subject areas of drug and alcohol use, dieting & food habits, smoking, bullying, exercise, injuries and family structure and relationships. New to this series of factsheets are fruit and vegetable consumption and electronic communication with friends. In total, 20 factsheets are available and should be of interest to health professionals, researchers, policy makers, teachers, students and parents.

Recently Published Reports

The quality of life of children with cerebral palsy: the SPARCLE study

A presentation given by Mariane Sentenac on 24th November 2008. SPARCLE is the study of participation of children with cerebral palsy living in Europe. To download the presentation click here (398KB)

Forum on Social Cohesion for Mental Health among adolescents: WHO Report Launch (18th November, 2008)

The 2007 World Health Organisation /HBSC Forum was dedicated to "Social cohesion for mental well-being among adolescents". It engaged with policy-makers, researchers and programme managers from 18 Member States, including Ireland, in considering how to: translate research into policies and action, engage in intersectoral action, address health inequities, and involve young people.

The final report of the forum, which includes a background paper and an Irish case study co-authored by members of the HBSC Ireland research team, has just been published and is available from:
http://www.euro.who.int/eprise/main/WHO/Progs/SED/hbsc/20080821_26

'A Picture of Health' 2008 launched today (November 4th, 2008) by the Health Research Board

HBSC has been selected for inclusion in 'A Picture of Health' published today by the Health Research Board (HRB). The report summarises a selection of HRB funded research, including the HBSC study which is based in the Health Promotion Research Centre, NUI Galway.

Link to A Picture of Health
http://www.hrb.ie/uploads/tx_hrbpublications/Picture_of_Health__2008.pdf

HRB funded project summary download 3.5KB

2nd National Report of the 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children in Ireland

English As Gaeilge

The extent of health inequalities among children in Ireland has been revealed by a report released on the 7th October, 2008, by the Health Promotion Research Centre. The "Inequalities in Health among School-aged Children in Ireland" report presents findings on the self-reported health status and health behaviours of specific groups of children living in Ireland. These groups include students from the Travelling community, students from immigrant families, students with a disability and chronic illness and students that are part of the Department of Education and Science's School Support Programme, under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools action plan, referred to as DEIS schools.

We wish to thank all the students, parents, teachers and school managements who assisted us in collecting these data. HBSC Ireland is supported by the Health Promotion Policy Unit of the Department of Health and Children and the Office of the Minister for Children.

Download the full report:

Available on line in English Inequalities in health among school-aged children in Ireland (657KB)

Ar fáil ar líne i nGaeilge ag Éagothroime Sláinte i measc leanaí ag aois scoile in Éirinn (612KB)

Download the press release: Widespread Health Inequality Among School Children in Ireland (10KB)

Éagothroine Sláinte go Forleathan i Measc Leanaí ag Aois Scoile in Éirinn (17KB)

Download Notes to Editors (10KB)

A new international report from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children: WHO Collaborative Cross-National Study: 'Inequalities in young People's Health' is now available.

This international report from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) World Health Organisation collaborative cross-national study is the most comprehensive to date. It presents the key findings on patterns of health among young people in 41 countries and regions across Europe and North America. The document presents a status report on health, health-related behaviour and the social contexts of young people's health in 2005/2006 and provides the latest evidence from this unique cross-national study on the well-being of young people in industrialised nations.

This is the fourth in a series of international reports from the HBSC study published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the 'Health policy for children and adolescents' (HEPCA) series. In addition to presenting key statistics on young people's health, this report has a special focus on health inequalities. It presents data on gender, age and geographic and socioeconomic dimensions of health differentials. The aim of the report is to highlight where inequalities exist in aspects of young people's health and well-being in order to inform and influence policy and practice and to contribute to health improvement for all young people.

The report is available to download from the WHO website at http://www.euro.who.int/datapublications/Publications/Catalogue/20080616_1

Currie, C., Nic Gabhainn, S., Godeau, E., Roberts, C., Smith, R., Currie, D., Pickett, W., Richter, M., Morgan, A. & Barnekow, V. (eds.) (2008). Inequalities in young people's health: HBSC international report from the 2005/2006 Survey. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. (Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 5).

HBSC Ireland Press Release - in English download (88KB)

HBSC Ireland Press Release - As Gaelige download (69KB)

WHO Press Release June 17 ^th download (66KB)

WHO HBSC 2008 Factsheet June 17 ^th download (78KB)

HBSC Ireland 2006: National Report of the 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children in Ireland

download - in English (125MB) download - as Gaelige (125MB)

If you would like to receive a hard copy of any of these reports please send your name and address to hbsc

nuigalway.ie

A list of all Reports, Journal Articles and Books/Book chapters relating to HBSC Ireland can be found on the publications page.

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: 353 91 492722
E-mail: hbsc

nuigalway.ie
This page was last updated Tuesday, January 19, 2010