Self-perceived health among early adolescents: role of psychosocial factors.
BACKGROUND
The authors examined self-perceived health and psychosocial health in 10-15 year old children and the relationship between children's self-perceived health and a set of psychosocial health status measurements.


METHODS
Data were collected from middle school students (n = 548; age range, 10-15 years of age; mean, 12.2 years; SD, 1.2 years) using randomly selected classes from four schools in different school districts in Szeged, Hungary. The self-administered questionnaires contained items on sociodemographics; school achievement; height and weight (body mass index); self-perceived health and fitness; health behaviors; and anger and psychosomatic health. The self-perceived health variable was dichotomized and expressed with poor/fair or good/excellent perceptions of one's own health.


RESULTS
Most of the children evaluated their own health as excellent or good. Logistic regression analyses revealed that poor academic achievement, socioeconomic status self-assessment, smoking, alcohol use, sports activity, self-perceived fitness, and high levels of anger and psychosomatic symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of reported poor/fair perceptions of health.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings reflect that psychosocial factors are important influences of self-perceived health in an early adolescent population.
Piko
Bettina F
BF
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary. pikobettina@yahoo.com
Keresztes
Noemi
N
D000293:Adolescent; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires