Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Scotland 2022 National Report
Published: 10 August 2023
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit researchers have published a report providing an overview of findings from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2022 survey in Scotland
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU) researchers have published a report providing an overview of findings from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2022 survey in Scotland.
The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Scotland 2022 National Report, which is led by researchers at the SPHSU, was launched this summer.
The HBSC Scotland team presented key findings from the latest survey, which was commissioned by Public Health Scotland and is carried out every four years in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The latest report has a special focus on young people's mental health in Scotland and also enables comparison of adolescent health and wellbeing before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond mental health and wellbeing, the HBSC study covers areas such as sleep habits, screen time, physical activity, sexual health and eating behaviours, as well as school and home life.
Key findings include the majority (80%) of young people reported high life satisfaction in 2022, and around a fifth (23%) of adolescents rated their health as excellent. However, nearly half (49%) of young people experienced multiple health complaints every week (the most common being feeling nervous, sleep difficulties and feeling irritable). The main negative impacts of the pandemic were on mental health (38%) and school performance (34%). The report also revealed the lowest levels of adolescent confidence seen in 28 years, with only 42% of adolescents in Scotland reporting often or always feeling confident in themselves.
First published: 10 August 2023