Frequency and effects of meeting health behaviour guidelines among adolescents

Background: To assess the relationship between overweight status and the concomitant adherence to physical activity, daily screen time and nutritional guidelines. Methods: Data were derived from the Swiss Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey 2006. Participants (n = 8130, 48.7% girls) were divided into two groups: normal weight (n = 7215, 44.8% girls) and overweight (n = 915, 34.8% girls), using self-reported height and weight. Groups were compared on adherence to physical activity, screen time and nutritional guidelines. Bivariate analyses were carried out followed by multivariate analyses using normal-weight individuals as the reference category. Results: Regardless of gender, overweight individuals reported more screen time, less physical activity and less concomitant adherence to guidelines. For boys, the multivariate analysis showed that any amount exceeding screen time recommendations was associated with increased odds of being overweight [>2-4 h: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.40; >4-6 h: AOR = 1.48; >6 h: AOR = 1.83]. A similar relation was found for any amount below physical activity recommendations (4-6 times a week: AOR = 1.67; 2-3 times a week: AOR = 1.87; once a week or less: AOR = 2.1). For girls, not meeting nutritional guidelines was less likely among overweight individuals (0-2 recommendations: AOR = 0.54). Regardless of weight status, more than half of the adolescents did not comply with any guideline and <2% met all three at the same time. Conclusions: Meeting current nutritional, physical activity and screen time guidelines should be encouraged with respect to overweight. However, as extremely low rates of concomitant adherence were found regardless of weight status, their achievability is questionable (especially for nutrition), which warrants further research to better adapt them to adolescent

Bidirectional Associations Between Sibling Relationships and Parental Support During Adolescence

Sibling relationships and parental support are important for adolescents’ development and well-being, yet both are likely to change during adolescence. Since adolescents participate in both the sibling relationship and the parent–child relationship, we can expect sibling relationships and parental support to be associated with each other. Theoretically, it can be expected that there is either a spillover from one relationship to another (congruence hypothesis) or that one relationship can compensate for the other (compensation hypothesis). However, research examining these associations in adolescence is limited. The present study longitudinally investigated the bidirectional associations between sibling relationships and parental support during adolescence. For five consecutive years, data were collected using self-reports of 428 families, consisting of a father, a mother, and two adolescent siblings. The mean ages of the first-born (52.8% males) and second-born (47.7% males) were 15 and 13 years at T1, respectively. For the second-born siblings, prospective associations were found between sibling relationships and adolescent-reported parental support in early adolescence, with no differences between same-sex and mixed-sex dyads. These associations were not found for first-born siblings or for parents’ reports of support. The findings suggest a spillover from the sibling relationship to adolescent-reported parental support only in early adolescence. Findings and implications are discussed in terms of the congruence/spillover and the compensation hypothesis

Arbeitsüberforderung und -unzufriedenheit von Lehrpersonen in der Schweiz - Zusammenhänge mit Depressivität und somatischen Beschwerden

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt erstmalig anhand einer repräsentativen Stichprobe von Lehrpersonen der 5. bis 9. Klassen in der Schweiz die psychometrischen Qualitäten der Skalen Arbeitsüberforderung und -unzufriedenheit von Enzmann und Kleiber (1989) sowie Zusammenhänge mit Depressivität und somatischen Beschwerden. Mit Hilfe von Hauptkomponentenanalysen und multiplen Regressionsanalysen wurden die Antworten von 485 Lehrpersonen untersucht. In Übereinstimmung mit vorangegangener Forschung konnten Arbeitsüberforderung und -unzufriedenheit als separate Dimensionen identifiziert werden. Arbeitsüberforderung und Depressivität sind in der Romandie weiter verbreitet als in der Deutschschweiz. In Bezug auf Arbeitsunzufriedenheit und somatische Beschwerden konnten keine Unterschiede zwischen den Sprachregionen festgestellt werden. Über ein Drittel der Gesamtvarianz von Depressivität konnte allein durch Arbeitsüberforderung und Arbeitsunzufriedenheit erklärt werden. Darüber hinaus gingen diese beiden Aspekte mit somatischen Beschwerden einher. Je überforderter und unzufriedener Lehrpersonen waren, desto mehr Beschwerden gaben sie an. Dies ist insofern Besorgnis erregend, als somatische oder psychische Beschwerden bei überforderten Lehrpersonen ein Indikator für erlebte Beanspruchungsfolgen wie z.B. chronischen Stress oder Burnout sein können. Die beschriebenen präventiven Massnahmen können dazu beitragen, die Arbeitsbedingungen der Lehrpersonen und das Arbeitsumfeld an den Schulen zu verbessern. (DIPF/Orig.)Based on a representative sample for Switzerland, this paper describes, for the first time, the psychometric qualities of the scales “professional overload” and “professional dissatisfaction” from Enzmann and Kleiber (1989) as well as their association with depressiveness and somatic complaints among teachers of 5th to 9th grades. The answers of 485 teachers were analyzed using principal component analysis and multiple regressions. In accordance with the results of previous studies, “professional overload” and “professional dissatisfaction” are two different dimensions. Professional overload and depressiveness are more frequent in the French speaking part than in the German speaking part. On the other hand, no difference was found between the linguistic regions with regards to professional dissatisfaction and somatic complaints. More than one third of the variance of depressiveness is explained only by the two variables, professional overload and professional dissatisfaction. In addition, both variables are associated with somatic complaints. The more the teachers are overloaded and dissatisfied, the more they report somatic or psychological problems. This is alarming because these complaints may be an indicator of chronic stress or burnout. Preventive actions that can contribute to improve the work conditions of teachers are suggested and described at the end of the paper. (DIPF/Orig.

Adding tobacco to cannabis: its frequency and likely implications.

INTRODUCTION: Young cannabis users are at increased risk of later cigarette initiation and progression to nicotine addiction. The present study addresses the frequency at which mulling (adding tobacco to cannabis smoked as joints) is performed and in which way this practice varies according to cigarette smoking status. METHODS: Data were issued from the Swiss 2007 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD). A total of 881 past month cannabis users (mean age 15 years, boys 60.1%) were inquired on mulling using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Participants were further grouped according to their cigarette smoking status (daily, occasional, former, and never-smokers). RESULTS: Four of every 5 cannabis users depicted mulling as frequently performed. The highest occurrence was found among daily cigarette smokers (DSC; 90.3%), while former cigarette smokers reported the lowest (58.9%). The multinomial logistic regression showed DSC more likely reporting mulling as frequent compared with never-smokers (risk ratio = 3.56 [95% CI 1.55-8.21]). Conclusions: Mulling appears to be a very common process among young cannabis users, especially among concomitant cigarette smokers. Nevertheless, the majority of cigarette abstainers also reported frequently adding tobacco to the cannabis they smoke. Because it may represent a significant exposition to nicotine, mulling should be taken into account when assessing substance use among adolescents and in supporting their quitting attempts

Dance Is the new metal: Adolescent music preferences and substance use across Europe

Item does not contain fulltextThis study examined relationships between music preferences and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) among 18,103 fifteen-year-olds from 10 European countries. In 2005-2006, across Europe, preferences for mainstream Pop (pop chart music) and Highbrow (classical music and jazz) were negatively associated with substance use, while preferences for Dance (house/trance and techno/hardhouse) were associated positively with substance use. In three countries, links were identified between liking Rock (rock, heavy metal punk/hardcore, and gothic) and substance use; associations between Urban (hip-hop and R&B) and substance use were mixed. No substantial gender differences emerged in these patterns, and controlling for relevant covariates did not attenuate the predictive value of substance use. The findings are consistent with the conclusion that music is a robust marker of adolescent substance use.13 p