| Summary: | Abstract
Background: Excellent self-rated health (SRH) can be seen as
an important component of positive health among adolescents. The
aim of this paper is to examine time trends of excellent health
among adolescents in five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway and Sweden) between 2002 and 2014, including differences
between countries, gender and age. Methods: Nordic data from the
Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey (including
11-, 13- and 15-year-olds) from 2002 (n = 19,009), 2006 (n = 29,656),
2010 (n = 33,232) and 2014 (n = 31,540) were analysed by design-adjusted
binomial logistic regression models. Results: The trend analysis
of excellent SRH for Nordic adolescents indicates a small improvement
between 2002 and 2006 but a stable trend in the following periods
up until 2014. The time trends do, however, depend on the specific
country. In general, a smaller proportion of girls compared to boys
were found to rate their health as excellent. Over time, however,
the proportion of boys rating their health as excellent decreased,
while girls’ ratings improved. Conclusions: From a public health
perspective, indications of a changing trend in adolescent health
coinciding with the 2007–2008 global recession warrant further attention
from researchers and policy-makers and should be closely monitored
in the future.
|
|---|
