Subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents in Germany: Cross-sectional results of the 2017/18 HBSC study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents in Germany: Cross-sectional results of the 2017/18 HBSC study

AU - Kaman, Anne

AU - Ottová-Jordan, Veronika

AU - Bilz, Ludwig

AU - Sudeck, Gorden

AU - Moor, Irene

AU - Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike

PY - 2020/9/16

Y1 - 2020/9/16

N2 - Subjective health is understood as a multidimensional construct that encompasses the physical, mental and social dimensions of a person’s well-being. Promoting the subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents has strong public health relevance because health impairments in childhood and adolescence are often associated with longterm health problems in adulthood. Therefore, it is very important to gain information about potential risk and resource factors involved. This article presents current prevalences for subjective health, life satisfaction and psychosomatic health complaints among children and adolescents in Germany aged 11, 13 and 15 years from the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study (N=4,347, 53.0% girls). It also examines the sociodemographic and psychosocial factors that influence subjective well-being. Most children and adolescents provided positive ratings of their health and life satisfaction. Nevertheless, about one third of girls and one fifth of boys were affected by multiple psychosomatic health complaints. Impairments in subjective well-being were particularly evident in girls, older adolescents, young people with low levels of family affluence and those under a lot of pressure at school. In contrast, high family support was associated with better subjective well-being. These results illustrate the need for target group-specific prevention and health promotion measures aimed at improving the subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents.

AB - Subjective health is understood as a multidimensional construct that encompasses the physical, mental and social dimensions of a person’s well-being. Promoting the subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents has strong public health relevance because health impairments in childhood and adolescence are often associated with longterm health problems in adulthood. Therefore, it is very important to gain information about potential risk and resource factors involved. This article presents current prevalences for subjective health, life satisfaction and psychosomatic health complaints among children and adolescents in Germany aged 11, 13 and 15 years from the 2017/18 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study (N=4,347, 53.0% girls). It also examines the sociodemographic and psychosocial factors that influence subjective well-being. Most children and adolescents provided positive ratings of their health and life satisfaction. Nevertheless, about one third of girls and one fifth of boys were affected by multiple psychosomatic health complaints. Impairments in subjective well-being were particularly evident in girls, older adolescents, young people with low levels of family affluence and those under a lot of pressure at school. In contrast, high family support was associated with better subjective well-being. These results illustrate the need for target group-specific prevention and health promotion measures aimed at improving the subjective health and well-being of children and adolescents.

KW - Subjective Health

KW - Well-Being

KW - Children and Adolescents

KW - HBSC Study

KW - 610 Medizin und Gesundheit

U2 - 10.25646/6899

DO - 10.25646/6899

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

VL - 5

SP - 7

EP - 20

JO - Journal of Health Monitoring

JF - Journal of Health Monitoring

SN - 2511-2708

IS - 3

ER -