Report compares health of US and European teenagers

AORN Journal, Feb, 2004

Teenagers in the United States are more likely to feel tired or "low" in the morning than their European counterparts, according to an Oct 31, 2003, news release from the US Department of Health & Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). A recent report released by HRSA compared the health and well-being of US and European teenagers. Data were taken from an international study titled "Health Behavior in School-aged Children," which coordinated school-based surveys of children ages 11, 13, and 15 years in US schools and in 29 locations throughout Europe in 1997 and 1998.

According to the report, Teens in Our World: Understanding the Health of US Youth in Comparison to Youth in Other Countries, teens in the United States were

* more likely to have stomachaches, backaches, headaches, and trouble sleeping "at least once a week";

* less likely to smoke than students in almost all other countries;

* about as likely as teens in other countries to drink alcohol "at least once a week"; and

* among the most enthusiastic toward school, although approximately 80% reported liking school "only a little," "not very much," or "not at all."

Additionally, US students reported feeling safe at school "never" or "rarely." American students were in the higher ranking of those who reported bullying other students frequently and ranked about average for being bullied by others "at least sometimes."

The report's authors contend that US students' fatigue may result from their high-fat, high-sugar diets and exercise levels in the middle to lower range compared to youths in other countries. The authors recommended conducting assessments of family stability, transient neighborhoods, and limited community support among American families and developing programs for teenagers that deter bullying and other undesirable behaviors.

HRSA Report Compares Health of Teens in the US, Europe (news release, Rockville, Md: Health Resources and Services Administration, Oct 31, 2003) http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2003/teensurvey.htm (accessed 25 Nov 2003).