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Self‐perceived health among early adolescents: Role of psychosocial factors
Author(s) -
PIKO BETTINA F,
KERESZTES NOEMI
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.2007.02430.x
Subject(s) - psychosocial , medicine , anger , socioeconomic status , logistic regression , body mass index , self rated health , clinical psychology , population , adolescent health , gerontology , environmental health , psychiatry , nursing , pathology
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.