The HBSC Ireland trends report 1998–2010: Child health behaviours, outcomes and contexts.

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) trends report presents findings on indicators of children’s health and well-being between 1998 and 2010. The report is divided into three main sections: health behaviours; health outcomes and contexts of children’s lives. In general, this report presents findings that highlight positive changes to children’s lives across each of these three areas. Health Behaviours Overall, there are encouraging trends in relation to both health risk behaviours and positive health behaviours. There is an overall significant decrease in the percentage of young people who are engaging in risky health behaviours, specifically substance use. However, particular attention should be given to girls and those from lower social classes who are consistently more likely to report engagement in these behaviours