Health perceptions among schoolchildren in Ireland Item type Other

HBSC Ireland has found that 33.3 % of schoolchildren in Ireland report excellent health (37.5 % of boys and 28.9 % of girls) representing a continued increase since 1998 (27.4%). The percentage of children reporting excellent health is higher among younger children; 41.7 % of boys and 39.4 % of girls aged 10-11 years, 35.2 % of boys and 20.2 % of girls aged 15-17 years. Girls are less likely to report their health as excellent across all age groups. Children who report having excellent health are less likely to: report having been drunk, have frequent emotional or physical symptoms, feel pressured by schoolwork or have bullied others than those who do not. They are more likely to: find it easy to talk to their parents and best friend, live with both parents, like school and report feeling happy than those who do not report excellent health. Why this topic? Self-reported measures of health capture an affective aspect of adolescent well-being. Previous studies have confirmed that self-reported health is a reliable indicator of health status2. Girls tend to report more health problems than boys3. Trends 2002-2006 Overall the percentage of children who report that their health is excellent has increased between 2002 (27.8%) and 2006 (33.3%). This increase is seen among boys (31.7 % to 37.5%) and girls (24.8% to 28.9%) and across all age groups. This increase is most pronounced among boys aged 10-11 years (34.5 % to 41.7%)