Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Scotland
For over 30 years the Scottish HBSC study has investigated the health and well-being of school children in Scotland and the social contexts in which they are growing up. The HBSC survey is conducted every four years and collects data from Primary 7, Secondary 2 and Secondary 4 pupils in Scotland. The Scottish study is part of the larger cross-national HBSC study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe.
Data are collected through school-based surveys in each country, using the HBSC international standard questionnaire. The target population of the study is young people attending school, aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Each participating country samples around 1500-2000 young people in each age group. The HBSC survey covers a wide range of health and wellbeing topics including physical activity, eating behaviours, oral health, smoking, alcohol consumption, mental health, spirituality, bullying, family life, peer relationships, electronic media use school environment and neighbourhood. Additional questions are included for the older age groups on cannabis use and sexual health.
The data produced by HBSC are used to provide evidence to inform the development of policies and programmes tailored to the needs of young people at local, national and international levels. Key users include: Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, Schools, Academics, Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE), Third sector organisations, International organisations e.g. WHO, UNICEF, OECD.
HBSC Scotland is funded by Public Health Scotland.
Visit the HBSCScotland website.
Collaborators
- Dorothy Currie
Publications
HBSC Scotland 2018 National Report
HBSC Scotland 2018 Executive Summary
Shaw, R. J. , Currie, D. B., Smith, G. S., Brown, J. , Smith, D. J. and Inchley, J. C. (2019) Do social support and eating family meals together play a role in promoting resilience to bullying and cyberbullying in Scottish school children? SSM - Population Health, 9, 100485. (doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100485) (PMID:31649998) (PMCID:PMC6804649)
Martin, G., Inchley, J. and Currie, C. (2019) Do drinking motives mediate the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and alcohol use among adolescents? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5), 853. (doi: 10.3390/ijerph16050853) (PMID:30857214) (PMCID:PMC6427383)
Martin, G., Inchley, J. , Marshall, A., Shortt, N. and Currie, C. (2019) The neighbourhood social environment and alcohol use among urban and rural Scottish adolescents. International Journal of Public Health, 64(1), pp. 95-105. (doi: 10.1007/s00038-018-1181-8) (PMID:30511169) (PMCID:PMC6353998) (PMID:22431257)
Levin KA, Kirby J, Currie C, Inchley J. Trends in adolescent eating behaviour: a multilevel cross-sectional study of 11-15 year olds in Scotland, 2002-2010. J Public Health (Oxf). 2012 Dec;34(4):523-31. (doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fds021) (PMID: 22431257).
Diet and Physical Activity
Life at School
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Screen Time and Social Media
