ABSTRACT
AIM: This study examined the participation in health-promoting measures by teachers and the perceived fit between offers and subjective needs from the teachers' perspective. METHODS: In the academic year 2017/18, questionnaire-based data were collected at schools in the German state of Brandenburg (n=830). The teachers answered questions about the use, offer and subjective need regarding health-promoting measures. RESULTS: 81.3% of teachers had participated in one or more health-promoting measures in the past 24 months. We found no significant differences in age, gender, type and sponsorship of school. In most subjects of health promotion, teachers indicated a considerably higher need for such measures compared to the perceived offer. From the teachers' point of view, there was a particular need for measures to change individual behavior and the health-promoting design of the schools and classrooms. CONCLUSION: When implementing prevention measures, the fit between offers and subjective needs from the teachers' point of view should be given greater consideration.
Subject(s)
Health Promotion , Schools , Humans , Germany , Surveys and Questionnaires , Gender Identity , School TeachersABSTRACT
Bullying is a specific form of violence that can potentially lead to numerous and long-term negative health implications. Despite consistent coverage in the media, particularly on cyberbullying, as of yet there are only few representative findings on the frequency of (cyber)bullying in Germany. This article analyses how widespread bullying and cyberbullying were at schools in Germany in 2018, what differences exist between girls and boys, age groups and various types of schools, and changes in bullying trends between 2002 and 2018. Our findings are based on an analysis of the data provided by the 2017/18 cycle (N=4,347 students, 53.0% female) and previous cycles of the German Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. In the 2018 cycle, boys reported having bullied other children more frequently than girls, but were bullied just as often. 15-year-olds reported having bullied other children more frequently than 11- to- 13-year-olds but reported being bullied less frequently. Students at grammar schools (Gymnasium) least frequently reported any involvement in bullying. Only few children and adolescents reported cases of cyberbullying. Compared to all previous survey years, 2018 saw the lowest number of children that reported having bullied others. However, reports of having been bullied have remained almost stable. The findings highlight the need for evidence-based prevention and intervention anti-bullying programmes and measures across all types of general education schools and age groups.
ABSTRACT
The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is an international research project in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) for over 35 years. HBSC is the largest study on child and adolescent health and one of the most important sources of data for the WHO's international comparative health monitoring. Every four years, data on the health and health behaviour of students aged 11, 13 and 15, as well as the social contexts and conditions for growing up healthy, are collected. A total of 50 countries belong to the HBSC network, with 45 countries taking part in the 2017/18 survey. Germany has contributed to the HBSC surveys since 1993/94. For the most recent 2017/18 cycle, students at 146 schools in Germany were interviewed (response rate of schools: 15.6%). A net sample of n = 4,347 girls and boys was achieved for Germany (response rate: 52.7%). Participation was voluntary and the survey was conducted in German school years five, seven and nine (corresponding to ages 11, 13 and 15). A weighting procedure was applied to allow for representative findings on the health of children and adolescents in Germany. HBSC offers a valuable contribution to health monitoring and provides numerous starting points to identify needs, risk groups and fields of action to initiate targeted and actual needs-based measures of prevention and health promotion in the school setting.
