Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: Trends Report 1990-2010
Foreword
As the Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, I am pleased to present the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: Trends Report 1990-2010. This report is based on the Canadian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which is part of a cross-national, school-based survey conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
The HBSC study is the only Canadian study that captures trends in health behaviours of youth 11 to 15 years of age. More specifically, it provides valuable information on young people’s health indicators, such as mental health, eating habits, physical activity, injuries, bullying, and other health-risk behaviours. The report also identifies two decades worth of trends in youth health behaviours, including the impact of school, family, and other social factors affecting well-being.
Consistent with the Public Health Agency of Canada’s mandate to promote the health of all Canadians, this report provides Canadians with timely and accurate information that can be used to inform program and policy development for our youth.
Thanks to the HBSC study, we have clear evidence that Canada is making progress on several health fronts. For example, I am encouraged to see that smoking rates among Canadian adolescents have gone down significantly over the past 20 years. In fact, we have one of the lowest weekly smoking rates among the 43 countries surveyed by the HBSC. That said, we still have work to do in areas like mental health and overweight/obesity, as our children and youth are reporting challenges that will require the collaboration of all sectors of our society to make a difference.
It is my hope that the HBSC Trends Report continues to serve as an important tool to monitor the risks and the protective factors that have an impact on the health of young Canadians. This report is a valuable source of data for comparing domestic and international trends. Reliable information is fundamental to our collective response to public health issues: this report provides an important research and surveillance resource for those working to improve the health behaviour of young Canadians and makes a unique contribution to our analysis of public health information.
Dr. Gregory Taylor,
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer
Public Health Agency of Canada
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