Adolescent Lifestyle Profile-Revised 2: validity and reliability among adolescents in Chile

Abstract Objective: The aims of this study were twofold. First, to provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Lifestyle Profile-Revised 2 (ALP-R2) among adolescents in Chile; and second, to examine the relationship between the health-promoting behaviors measured by this scale and several demographic variables. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Students attending grades 9 through 12 from schools representing low-, middle-, and high-income families were included. All schools were in the city of San Felipe, Chile. Students completed the ALP-R2, a fourty-four-item scale aiming to assess health-promoting behaviors. To evaluate validity and reliability, confirmatory factor analysis and omega coefficient calculation were conducted, respectively. Results: The sample size was 572 students (82.5% of the eligible population). More males (56.6%) than females (43.4%) participated in the study, and the mean age was 16.4 (SD, 1.3) years. The ALP-R2 had adequate adjustment indicators in the confirmatory factor analysis, which means that the data supports the original theoretical model (seven subscales). The highest internal consistency was obtained for the total scale (Ω = 0.87); and (among the subscales), physical activity (Ω = 0.85) and spiritual health (Ω = 0.78) had the highest reliability. Conclusions: The ALP-R2 appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess health-promoting behaviors among adolescents attending secondary schools.

Adolescent Lifestyle Profile-Revised 2: validity and reliability among adolescents in Chile.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were twofold. First, to provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the Adolescent Lifestyle Profile-Revised 2 (ALP-R2) among adolescents in Chile; and second, to examine the relationship between the health-promoting behaviors measured by this scale and several demographic variables. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey. Students attending grades 9 through 12 from schools representing low-, middle-, and high-income families were included. All schools were in the city of San Felipe, Chile. Students completed the ALP-R2, a fourty-four-item scale aiming to assess health-promoting behaviors. To evaluate validity and reliability, confirmatory factor analysis and omega coefficient calculation were conducted, respectively. RESULTS: The sample size was 572 students (82.5% of the eligible population). More males (56.6%) than females (43.4%) participated in the study, and the mean age was 16.4 (SD, 1.3) years. The ALP-R2 had adequate adjustment indicators in the confirmatory factor analysis, which means that the data supports the original theoretical model (seven subscales). The highest internal consistency was obtained for the total scale (Ω=0.87); and (among the subscales), physical activity (Ω=0.85) and spiritual health (Ω=0.78) had the highest reliability. CONCLUSIONS: The ALP-R2 appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess health-promoting behaviors among adolescents attending secondary schools.

Mental health among children and adolescents: Construct validity, reliability, and parent-adolescent agreement on the 'Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire' in Chile.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a screening tool used to measure psychological functioning among children and adolescents. It has been extensively used worldwide, but its psychometric properties, such as internal structure and reliability, seem to vary across countries. This is the first study exploring the construct validity and reliability of the Spanish version of SDQ among early adolescents (self-reported) and their parents in Latin America. A total of 1,284 early adolescents (9-15 years) and their parents answered the SDQ. We also collected demographic variables. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the latent structure of the SDQ. We also used the multitrait-multimethod analysis to separate the true variance on the constructs from variance resulting from measurement methods (self-report vs. parent report), and evaluated the agreement between adolescents and their parents. We found that the original five-factor model was a good solution and the resulting sub-scales had good internal consistency. We also found that the self-reported and parental versions of SDQ provide different information, which are complementary and provide a better picture of the emotional, social, and conduct problems of adolescents. We have added evidence for the construct validity and reliability of the Spanish self-reported and parental SDQ versions in a Chilean sample.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Adolescent Health Promotion Scale in Chile: Differences by Socioeconomic Status and Gender.

BACKGROUND: The promotion of healthy behaviors is a relevant issue worldwide, especially among adolescent populations, as this is the developmental stage where most unhealthy behaviors become ingrained. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Adolescent Health Promotion Scale (AHPS) in a Chilean sample of early adolescents. METHODS: The sample was composed of 1,156 adolescents aged 10-14 years from schools in San Felipe, Chile. Item structure was assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses; reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha; and differences in terms of gender, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) were established using analysis of variance. RESULTS: The analyses of item structure identified all of the six original factors (nutrition behaviors, health responsibility, social support, life appreciation, stress management and exercise behavior) as significant. However, eight items did not fit the Chilean population well. Therefore, the AHPS in Chile has been reduced to 32 items. The Cronbach's alpha of the 32-item Chilean AHPS was .95, with the subscale coefficients ranging from .76 to .94. In addition, female subjects performed better than male subjects, and individuals of higher SES scored higher than the middle and lower socioeconomic groups. No differences on AHPS scores were found in different age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The AHPS appears to have good psychometric properties in terms of item structure and reliability. Consistent with studies carried out in other countries, health promotion behavioral differences were observed in association with gender and SES. The results support the Chilean version of the AHPS as an appropriate instrument for measuring the health promotion behaviors of early adolescents in Chile and for comparing results with those from other countries.

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) Scale in Chilean Adolescents and Its Association with School-Related Outcomes and Substance Use.

School membership appears to be an important factor in explaining the relationship between students and schools, including school staff. School membership is associated with several school-related outcomes, such as academic performance and expectations. Most studies on school membership have been conducted in developed countries. The Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale (18 items: 13 positively worded items, 5 negatively worded items) has been widely used to measure this construct, but no studies regarding its validity and reliability have been conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. This study investigates the psychometric properties, factor structure and reliability of this scale in a sample of 1250 early adolescents in Chile. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provide evidence of an excellent fit for a one-factor solution after removing the negatively worded items. The internal consistency of this new abbreviated version was 0.92. The association analyses demonstrated that high school membership was associated with better academic performance, stronger school bonding, a reduced likelihood of school misbehavior, and reduced likelihood of substance use. Analyses showed support for the reliability and validity of the PSSM among Chilean adolescents.

[The influence of parental healthy behaviors on healthy lifestyles of early adolescents]. / Influencia de las conductas promotoras de salud de los padres en la de sus hijos adolescentes.

BACKGROUND: Family behavior models may influence health promoting conducts among adolescents. AIM: To determine the association between health promoting behaviors among parents and healthy behaviors of early adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of the baseline assessment of a longitudinal study of early adolescents in the city of San Felipe, Region of Valparaiso, Chile. Parents and their teenage children, attending 5th to 7th grade, from ten municipal schools, participated in this study. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess healthy lifestyles, answered separately by parents and their children. Univariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses with complete data were carried out, using the students’ health promoting behaviors as dependent variables and the same behaviors among parents as the main predictors, controlling for other personal and family variables. RESULTS: We contacted 1,035 parents and 682 consented to participate along with 560 students. The mean age of adolescents was 11.5 ± 1.2 years (49% females) The mean age of parents was 39.8 ± 8.8 years and 90% were women. The parental behaviors associated with teenage health promoting behaviors were eating vegetables (odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, p < 0.05), having breakfast (OR = 1.27, p < 0.05), do stretching exercises every day (OR = 1.19, p < 0.05) and take some time for relaxation (OR = 1.24, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results show an association between healthy behaviors among parents and these behaviors among their adolescent offspring.

[Smoking and alcohol use among Chilean teenagers aged 10 to 14 years]. / Consumo de tabaco y alcohol en adolescentes de 10 a 14 años de la ciudad de San Felipe, Chile: prevalencia y factores asociados.

BACKGROUND: Smoking and alcohol use are risky behaviors that can start early in life. AIM: To determine the lifetime prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in adolescents aged 10 to 14 years and related factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A survey about smoking and alcohol use was answered by 1,392 teenagers aged 10 to 14 years (46% women) from seven schools in a small city near Santiago. Personal, family, and school factors were evaluated through self-report scales. Smoking and alcohol use, as dichotomous dependent variables, were defined as having consumed any of these substances throughout life. Prevalence was calculated as percentages with 95% confidence intervals. Association analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: Six and eleven percent of participants reported having smoked and used alcohol in their life, respectively. Smoking was associated with age, having behavioral problems, mothers’ smoking, perceiving that parents had drug problems, and not living with both parents. Alcohol use was mainly associated with age, having behavioral problems, perceiving that other students consumed drugs, alcohol use by both parents, and perceiving a lack of family support. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco and alcohol use is highly prevalent in adolescents aged 10-14 years. There were common risk factors for smoking and alcohol use such as age and having behavioral problems, while other factors were more specific such as mothers’ smoking, or parental alcohol use.

Influencia de las conductas promotoras de salud de los padres en la de sus hijos adolescentes / The influence of parental healthy behaviors on healthy lifestyles of early adolescents

Background: Family behavior models may influence health promoting conducts among adolescents. Aim: To determine the association between health promoting behaviors among parents and healthy behaviors of early adolescents. Material and Methods: Analysis of the baseline assessment of a longitudinal study of early adolescents in the city of San Felipe, Region of Valparaiso, Chile. Parents and their teenage children, attending 5th to 7th grade, from ten municipal schools, participated in this study. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess healthy lifestyles, answered separately by parents and their children. Univariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses with complete data were carried out, using the students’ health promoting behaviors as dependent variables and the same behaviors among parents as the main predictors, controlling for other personal and family variables. Results: We contacted 1,035 parents and 682 consented to participate along with 560 students. The mean age of adolescents was 11.5 ± 1.2 years (49% females) The mean age of parents was 39.8 ± 8.8 years and 90% were women. The parental behaviors associated with teenage health promoting behaviors were eating vegetables (odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, p < 0.05), having breakfast (OR = 1.27, p < 0.05), do stretching exercises every day (OR = 1.19, p < 0.05) and take some time for relaxation (OR = 1.24, p < 0.05). Conclusions: These results show an association between healthy behaviors among parents and these behaviors among their adolescent offspring.

Brief report: Association between psychological sense of school membership and mental health among early adolescents.

Mental health problems among adolescents are prevalent and are associated with important difficulties for a normal development during this period and later in life. Understanding better the risk factors associated with mental health problems may help to design and implement more effective preventive interventions. Several personal and family risk factors have been identified in their relationship to mental health; however, much less is known about the influence of school-related factors. One of these school factors is school belonging or the psychological sense of school membership. This is a well-known protective factor to develop good academic commitment, but it has been scarcely studied in its relationship to mental health. We explored this association in a sample of early adolescents and found that students who reported having a high level of school membership had lower mental health problems, even after controlling for several personal and family factors.

Consumo de tabaco y alcohol en adolescentes de 10 a 14 años de la ciudad de San Felipe, Chile: prevalencia y factores asociados / Smoking and alcohol use among Chilean teenagers aged 10 to 14 years

Background: Smoking and alcohol use are risky behaviors that can start early in life. Aim: To determine the lifetime prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use in adolescents aged 10 to 14 years and related factors. Subjects and Methods: A survey about smoking and alcohol use was answered by 1,392 teenagers aged 10 to 14 years (46% women) from seven schools in a small city near Santiago. Personal, family, and school factors were evaluated through self-report scales. Smoking and alcohol use, as dichotomous dependent variables, were defined as having consumed any of these substances throughout life. Prevalence was calculated as percentages with 95% confidence intervals. Association analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Six and eleven percent of participants reported having smoked and used alcohol in their life, respectively. Smoking was associated with age, having behavioral problems, mothers’ smoking, perceiving that parents had drug problems, and not living with both parents. Alcohol use was mainly associated with age, having behavioral problems, perceiving that other students consumed drugs, alcohol use by both parents, and perceiving a lack of family support. Conclusions: Tobacco and alcohol use is highly prevalent in adolescents aged 10-14 years. There were common risk factors for smoking and alcohol use such as age and having behavioral problems, while other factors were more specific such as mothers’ smoking, or parental alcohol use.

[Factors associated with health promoting behaviors among Chilean adolescents]. / Factores asociados a conductas promotoras de salud en adolescentes chilenos.

BACKGROUND: Health-promoting behaviors are important to prevent diseases and prolong life in the population. People develop these behaviors throughout life. However, better benefits for health are obtained with an early development. AIM: To determine the prevalence of health-promoting behaviors among early adolescents and its associated factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional survey performed in 1,465 students of high, medium and low socio-economic status, attending fifth to eighth grades of schools located in a small Chilean city. Participants answered a questionnaire that gathered information about frequency of health-promoting behaviors such as health responsibility and nutrition, physical exercise and stress management, life appreciation, social support and different personal, school and familial factors. RESULTS: A higher frequency of health-promoting behaviors was associated with better academic achievement, better school commitment, and higher perception of school membership. It also was associated with a better perception of health status and a higher conformity with physical appearance. CONCLUSIONS: Health promoting behaviors in these children are related to a better academic achievement and a higher integration with school environment.

Factores asociados a conductas promotoras de salud en adolescentes chilenos / Factors associated with health promoting behaviors among Chilean adolescents

Background: Health-promoting behaviors are important to prevent diseases and prolong life in the population. People develop these behaviors throughout life. However, better benefits for health are obtained with an early development. Aim: To determine the prevalence of health-promoting behaviors among early adolescents and its associated factors. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional survey performed in 1,465 students of high, medium and low socio-economic status, attending fifth to eighth grades of schools located in a small Chilean city. Participants answered a questionnaire that gathered information about frequency of health-promoting behaviors such as health responsibility and nutrition, physical exercise and stress management, life appreciation, social support and different personal, school and familial factors. Results: A higher frequency of health-promoting behaviors was associated with better academic achievement, better school commitment, and higher perception of school membership. It also was associated with a better perception of health status and a higher conformity with physical appearance. Conclusions: Health promoting behaviors in these children are related to a better academic achievement and a higher integration with school environment.