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Health and well-being of Scottish adolescents

The 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Scotland conducted by researchers at the University of Glasgow highlights the health and well-being of young Scottish people.

Key findings from the report are as follows:

  • Eighty-five per cent of young individuals reported high levels of life satisfaction.
  • Twenty-two per cent of adolescents reported their health as ‘excellent’; however, only 12 per cent of girls aged 15 years were likely to report ‘excellent’ health.
  • Overall, 35 per cent of young individuals reported experiencing multiple health complaints every week.
  • Thirty-seven per cent of adolescents were found to have a low mood and 14 per cent were at risk for depression.
  • The average sleep duration on weekdays for 13- and 15-year-olds was 8.3 and 7.8 hours, respectively. Girls were more likely to have sleep difficulties than boys in these age groups.
  • There was a 6 per cent increase in the proportion of young individuals reporting sleep difficulties more than once a week from 2014 to 2018.
  • Ninety-five per cent of young individuals reported owning a smartphone with an Internet connection and nine per cent of adolescents were found to have problematic social media use.
  • Forty-seven per cent of boys and 41 per cent of girls reported participating in leisure-time vigorous physical activity at least four times a week.

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