Self-rated health, psychosocial functioning, andother dimensions of adolescent health in Centraland Eastern European adolescents

Background and Objectives: Although studied extensively among adults,self-rated health (SRH) has not received the same research attention among adolescents. Ithas been suggested that SRH in adolescents may be a function of adolescents’ overallsense of functioning and may reflect psychosocial functioning more so than in adults. Therating of health as poor by adolescents might be a somatic expression of life distress andmay be connected with risky behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigateself-rated health (SRH) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) adolescents and determineits association with psychosocial functioning and other dimensions of adolescenthealth.Methods: A survey was administered to 3,123 students in 34 secondary schools acrossCEE which included measures of SRH, psychosocial functioning (loneliness, hopelessness,shyness, perceptions of social status, self-rated happiness, and perception of physical (..) (AU)

Social normative perceptions of alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking among Central and Eastern European adolescents.

This study examined alcohol use and related social normative perceptions among a sample of 1,886 Central-Eastern European high school students. The youth represented in the study averaged 16.5 years of age and were from several localities in the countries of Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Romania. Data for the study were collected through a school-based alcohol use survey that was completed in June 2005. Our results support the hypothesis that drinking was related to perception of the prevalence of alcohol use by schoolmates and by the number of friends who drink and/or engage in episodic heavy drinking. Specific implications of findings in terms of substance use prevention are discussed. In addition, the need for future research and the limitations of the current research are discussed. This study was largely financially supported through an international grant from the College of Health and Human Performance, Brigham Young University.

Cigarette smoking and indicators of psychosocial distress in Southeast Asian and Central-Eastern European adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of cigarette smoking and 2 indicators of psychosocial distress (hopelessness and loneliness) among adolescents from 2 distinctly different regions of the world: Central-Eastern Europe (Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland) and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines). Among Southeast Asian boys and girls, smokers had elevated hopelessness in comparison to nonsmokers but among Central-Eastern European students, this relationship was true only for girls and there was no relationship for boys. Across the country samples, there was only association of smoking with loneliness among Southeast Asian girls and Central-Eastern European girls. While Southeast Asian girls who smoked scored higher on loneliness than nonsmokers, the opposite was true among Central-Eastern European girls, with smokers scoring lower on loneliness.

Friendships and physical activity: investigating the connection in Central-Eastern European adolescents.

Studies investigating physical activity among adolescents living in post-communistic Central-European countries are sparse, particularly in light of the fact that some research has identified that adults in these countries exercise less frequently than western counterparts. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical activity participation is associated with certain friendship factors, the ability to make friends, level of involvement with friends, and perceived friends' involvement in physical activity, among 1,886 Central-Eastern European high schools students. The results of this study corroborated previous research in other adolescent populations in which it has been found that overall participation in physical activity was lowest among adolescents who said that making friends was difficult, who were less involved with friends, and who reported that making friends was difficult. The association of these friendship factors and physical activity participation has important implications for health education. Friendship factors should be given serious consideration in health education strategies and research efforts designed to increase youth physical activity.

Cigarette smoking, friendship factors, and social norm perceptions among central and Eastern European high school students.

Studies investigating smoking behavior among adolescents living in post-communistic Central-European countries are sparse. This study focused on the relationship between cigarette smoking, certain friendship factors, and social norm perceptions among 1,886 Central-Eastern European adolescents from high schools in Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Romania. Smoking behavior was related to having friends who smoke, ease or difficulty making new friends, time spent with friends after school and during evenings, and estimations of the prevalence of smoking by schoolmates. Because these youth appear to overestimate the prevalence of smoking by schoolmates, the use of a norms-correction strategy may have potential merit in smoking prevention efforts targeting these adolescents. Smoking prevention and reduction are critical issues for Central-Eastern European youth because they appear to smoke cigarettes at a high rate.

Self-perception of body weight, weight management practices and goals, and other weight-related factors in central and eastern European adolescents.

Self-perception of body weight, management practices and goals, and other weight-related factors were assessed among a sample of 2,566 adolescents from 30 high schools in Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, and Poland. Students who perceived themselves as much too fat were more likely than those with other weight perceptions to engage in weight management practices to lose weight, have higher body mass index, rate themselves lower on physical attractiveness, and estimate higher percentages of their same-sex friends as trying to lose weight. Similar to other research, boys and girls differed on self-perception of weight and other weight-related factors. Cross-cultural comparisons between central and eastern European adolescents and U.S. adolescents, as well as east and southeast Asian youth are made. Implications for health education practice are discussed.