15,881 young people, between the ages of 10 and 15, tell us about what they do at home, at school, and with their friends. These data have been collected from 334 primary and secondary schools across the United Kingdom. Annually since 1986, the Schools Health Education Unit (an independent research unit based in Exeter) has published the collected Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) results. To the point of publication, nearly 610,000 pupils, between the ages of 8 and 18, have completed the questionnaire since 1977. More than 4,800 separate school surveys have been carried out, some schools repeating surveys of their pupils on five occasions. The data banks at the Unit are a unique resource that are consulted by a wide range of groups and individuals including Local Education Authorities, Health Authorities, Government Offices, University departments, schools, teachers and other interested individuals.
- Are young internet surfers able to browse undesirable material? (View pdf)
- 47% of 14-15 year old males never consider their health when choosing food... (View pdf)
- Do older youngsters take more or less precautions to avoid sunburn? (View pdf)
- Is as much time spent on homework as computer games?
- Do females or males save more of their own money? (View pdf)
- Up to 16% of young people never exercise... (View pdf)
- 61% of 10-11 year-old males are not aware of AIDS... (View pdf)
'Young People in 2001' is divided into nine sections :
SECTION 1 - Food choices & weight control
SECTION 2 - Doctor & Dentist
SECTION 3 - Health & Safety
SECTION 4 - Family & Home
SECTION 5 - Legal & Illegal Drugs
SECTION 6 - Money
SECTION 7 - Exercise & Sport
SECTION 8 - Social & Personal
SECTION 9 - Responses from primary children that are not contained in sections 1-8.
The following is a summary taken from the report...
Section 1: Food choices & weight control [ Top ]
Breakfast
20% of the 14-15 year old females had nothing at all for breakfast 'this' morning. (p.2)
Lunch
18% of the 14-15 year old females ate no lunch on their previous day at school. (p.3)
Breakfast&Lunch
25% of the 14-15 year old females who had nothing to eat at breakfast 'this' morning (on the morning of the survey) had nothing to eat at lunch the previous day at school (p.2)
Healthy eating
Females are more likely than males to take health into account when choosing what to eat. 27% of the 14-15 year old males say they never do. (p.12)
Weight
61% of 14 -15 year old females 'would like to lose weight'. The proportion of the 14-15 year old females who missed breakfast and lunch and 'would like to lose weight' is 23%. However, from a small sample of 896, 12% of 14-15 year old females were shown to be overweight using Height/Weight data (p.5&7).
Food choices
(The following comments apply to dietary items consumed on most days.) Over 59% of older pupils have dairy products. Females, from 10-15 years, show a greater preference for fresh fruit, salads and vegetables. Crisps are again as popular as sweets. (p. 8-11)
Section 2: Doctor&Dentist [ Top ]
Going to the doctor
About 28% of the males and females reported visiting their GP within the previous month, and about 50% of all the young people had done so within the previous three months. (p.14)
Confidence with the doctor
58% of the males, compared with 42% of the females, reported being 'at ease' on their last visit. (p.15)
Toothbrushing
More than 70% of the males and at least 84% of the females brush their teeth at least twice a day. 26% of older males brush only once. (p.16)
Going to the dentist
About 75% reported visiting the dentist in the previous six months, and around 65% reported having a checkup. (p.17-18)
Section 3: Health&Safety [ Top ]
Cycling
The percentage of females who 'at most times' wear a safety helmet when cycling, falls from 16% (10-11 years) to 8% (14-15 years). (p.20)
Toilet hygiene
Few pupils 'never' or 'almost never' wash their hands after using the lavatory. (p.21)
Baths&showers
About half the young people had at least six baths or showers during the week before the survey. (p.22)
Asthma
Up to 18% of the 10 - 15 year olds report having asthma. (p.23)
Eczema
Twice as many females as males report having ezcema. 15% of females say they have eczema. (p.24)
Dyslexia
Gender differences are apparent both in the levels of reporting either not knowing or positively identifying themselves as having this condition. Twice as many males (up to 5%) than females report having dyslexia. (p25)
Disturbed nights
About a third of the males and almost half the females experience disturbed sleep though coughing. (p.27)
Medication
46% of the 14-15 year old females had taken painkillers on at least one day during the previous week. Around two-thirds of the older females and almost half the older males had taken a remedy for something. During the same period nearly a quarter of the males and a third of the females had taken medication for colds, throat infections, or flu. (p.26&28)
'Wheezers'
Around 60% of females report 'wheezing' and have trouble breathing (not just out of breath) when they run. (p.29)
Safety outside after dark and during the day
Up to 29% of the sample felt that safety after dark was 'poor' or 'very poor' in their neighbourhood, with females feeling more apprehensive after dark. (p.30)
Being bullied
37% of the 10-13 year old females have a fear of bullying. Females are more fearful than males. Many items in the survey can be linked with fear of bullying, most notably low self-esteem and poor perceived control. (p.31)
Accidents
During the previous year, around 36% of the males had an accident that needed treatment from a doctor or at a hospital. 36% of the younger males had a cut needing treatment by a doctor or in hospital. Most accidents for males occur while playing sport. Females are more likely to report accidents that occur at home (p.32-34)
Section 4: Family&Home [ Top ]
Family structure
Up to 66% of the young people live with both parents, and up to 17% live in single-parent families. Around 40% live in a household with five or more people, and the majority live in a home with two children. About 60% have at least one younger sibling and around 10% are the only child at home. (p.38-41)
School journey
At least 54% walk to school, around 17% go by school bus, and nearly a quarter (the majority female) go at least part of the way to school by car. Over 45% of the sample have two or more cars in their family. (p.44-45)
Television
At least 85% watched some TV during the evening prior to the survey. At least 17% watched TV for more than 3 hours and 15% or fewer did not watch at all. (p.46)
Homework
More females than males did homework on the evening before the survey, and they tended to spend longer at it. 36% of the 14-15 year old males did no homework. (p.47)
Computer games
Up to 73% of the males, compared with up to 35% of the females, spent some time playing computer games on the previous evening. (p.48)
Internet
Up to 81% of 14 - 15 year olds access the Internet and more than 66% of the all pupils do have Internet access. At least 42% of pupils have access to the Internet at home. 67% of 14 - 15 year old males browse without adult supervision. (p.49-50)
Evening activities
The most common of all is television watching (about 85%).
More popular:
(with all 10-15 year old males) playing computer games, meeting with friends and playing sport;
More popular:
(with all 10-15 year old females) reading a book
(with 12-13 year old females) caring for pets and doing homework. (p.51)
Section 5: Legal&Illegal Drugs [ Top ]
Experience of alcohol
Over 13% of the 10-11 year olds, more than 24% of the 12 -13 year olds, and 43% of the 14-15 year olds had consumed at least one of the listed alcoholic drinks during the previous week. (p.55)
Beer or lager
34% of the males and 16% of the females, aged 14-15, drank at least one pint of beer or lager during the previous week. (p.58)
Wines and Spirits
30% of the 14-15 year old females drank at least 1 small bottle of 'alcopops' during the previous week. 20% of the 14-15 year old females had drunk at least one glass of wine during the previous week. Since 1996, the data shows that older females 'overtook' the males as spirit-drinkers with 20%, 14-15 year old females, drinking one or more spirit measures in the past week. (p.62&65)
Alcohol units
Almost twice as many males than females in Year 10 (14-15 year olds) drank 15 or more units of alcohol in the previous week. 16% of the older males drank over 11 units (p. 66)
Obtaining alcohol
The off-licence is the most important source of purchased alcohol, especially for the 14-15 year olds, followed by the pub or bar. (p.68)
Drinking at home
Most 'drinkers' drank at home and substantial numbers of 14 -15 year olds used other venues including friends, disco, club, party, pubs and outside in a public place. Of those who do drink at home, about half do so with their parents always knowing about it. (p.69-70)
Smoking levels
28% of the 14-15 year old females and 20% of the 14-15 year old males smoked at least one cigarette during the previous week. (p.72)
Sources of cigarettes
14% of the 14-15 year old females were able to buy cigarettes from a shop and 7% of the same group were supplied by friends. (p.73)
Attitude to smoking
Between Year 8 (12-13 years) and Year 10 (14-15 years) the number of regular smokers more than triples. Up to 65% will have smoked by Year 10. The majority of current smokers say they would like to stop. 56% of the Year 10 females have a close friend who smokes. The contrast in smoking between females with or without friends who smoke is dramatic, but the highest proportion of all is among females with a 'smoking sister' (p.74-76)
Drug safety
The older they get pupils think that drugs are 'always unsafe', except cannabis, which is considered to be 'always unsafe' by a smaller percentage of the older groups. (p.77)
Drug users
Up to 61% of the 14-15 year olds are 'fairly sure' or 'certain' that they know a drug user. (p.78)
Drug experience
About I in 5 pupils in Year 10 - four times as many as in Year 8 - have tried at least one drug. Cannabis is by far the most likely drug to have been tried, with 29% of 14-15 year old males, 25% of 14-15 year old females, and 6% of 12-13 year olds reporting having taken it. (p.79)
Section 6: Money [ Top ]
Paid work during term time
The percentage of young people with a regular job rises from around 25% (12-13 years) up to 40% (14-15 years). (p.82)
Type of work
Paper and milk rounds are prime jobs for the males, with babysitting common for the females. Paid housework is also an important source of income for the younger respondents. (p.83)
Hours worked
Around 12% of the 14-15 year old workers worked for more than 10 hours during the week before the survey. The average hours worked per. week was between 4.2 and 6.3. (p.84)
Money earned
Over 28% of 14-15 year olds earned more than £20 a week. The average earnings for the same age group was over £23 for males and over £19 for females. (p.85)
Pocket money
64% of 10-11 year olds receive up to £5, while around 29% of the 14-15 year olds receive more than £10 per week. (p.86)
Total income
Over 20% of the 14-15 year olds receive more than £20 per week from pocket money and jobs. (p.87)
Saving money
More males (38%) than females (31%) are savers and up to 39% of all pupils saved something. (p.88)
Spending money
36% of older males spent more than £10 during the week before the survey. (p.89)
Items bought last week
For all groups:
sweets (up to 49%) and soft drinks (up to 42%).
For individual age/gender:
(10-11 yr males): computer games (39%), leisure/sportscentre (33%).
(10-11 yr females): comics/magazines (35%), cds/tapes (39%), school equipment (32%).
(14-15 yr males): fast food (36%).
(14-15 yr females): clothes/footwear (32%), fares (33%) (p.90-91).
Purchase of Lottery and scratch cards
8% of the 14-15 year old males owned a National Lottery draw ticket which was purchased in the previous week before the survey. (p.92)
Section 7: Exercise and Sport [ Top ]
Enjoyment of sport
49% of the 10-11 year old females enjoy physical activity 'a lot'. However, far fewer females than males in each year group report liking sport 'a lot'. Half as many 14-15 year old females as males say they enjoy physical activity 'a lot'. Nevertheless, over 80% of primary school pupils and over 65% of the secondary pupils enjoy physical activity 'quite a lot' or 'a lot'. (p.94)
Active sports
Nearly all of the 36 activities listed show a decline in involvement with increasing age except for 5-a-side football, basketball, soccer, badminton and weight training. Volleyball, tennis and fishing remain generally constant across the age groups and between genders. (p.95-97)
Fitness
Up to 70% of 10-11 year old pupils think they are 'fit' or 'very fit'. Over 25% of the Year 10 females describe themselves as 'unfit' or 'very unfit'. Perceived fitness declines with age in males and females. (p.99)
Aerobic exercise
Over 80% of all groups (10-15 year olds) had exercised to the level of 'breathing hard' at least once in the previous week. The gap is seen to widen between males and females among the frequent exercisers as they get older. More than 11% of all groups never exercise (p.100)
Section 8: Social&Personal [ Top ]
Boyfriends and girlfriends
About 25% of all the young people had a 'steady' friend. (p.102)
Meeting the opposite sex
Almost half of the young people feel at ease. 13-19% are 'quite' or 'very uneasy'. (p.103)
Information about sex
Between Years 8 and 10 there is a trend away from parents and school lessons and a trend towards friends. Parents and/or school lessons should be the main source of information according to these young people. (p.104-105)
Worries
14-15 year old females top the list of most problem areas. 'The way you look' is the principal worry for these young people, but school, money and career worries are also high on the list of the older teenagers. 55% of 14-15 yr females are worried about the way they look (p.106)
School problems
There has been a marked rise in worry about school work since 1996. Mother and father are the most common source of support. (p.107)
Money problems
Around 45% would talk to their mother and father. (p.108)
Health problems
Almost half the males would turn to mother and father, but mother is the most frequent choice of the females. (p.109)
Career problems
Mother and father are the most likely source of support and the school teacher plays a stronger part for older pupils. Up to 17% of older females would turn to their teacher. (p.110)
Friend problems
Gender differences are pronounced. More males say mother and father, or 'would keep it to myself' . More females say mother. A similar proportion, however, would share the problem with another friend. (p.111)
Family problems
Females are twice as likely than males to turn to a friend. Males are more likely to go to mother and father or to 'keep it to myself'. (p.112)
Gambling problems
Around 25% would keep it to themselves. (p.113)
Self-esteem
The level of self-esteem tends to increase with age. The 'high' group included more males than females. 46% of the 10-11 yr old females score between 'medium low' and 'low' self-esteem(p.114)
Control over health
The majority feel they are in control of their health. At least a quarter do not think they can influence their health by their own efforts. (p.115-117)
Getting on with adults
Up to 47% 'get on best' with both parents. Older pupils show a move away from parents towards other individual family members and friend. More than 82% trust at least two adults. 6% of older pupils trust no one. (p.118-119)
Life satisfaction
Males are more satisfied than females. This difference is in line with evidence that females worry about more things than males. (p.120)
Puberty and growing up
For females, parents are the most likely group to talk with about puberty and growing up. Teachers figure strongly for older pupils. Up to 24% of males do not have discussions with any of the listed groups (p.121)
Transmitting HIV
Sharing needles and unsafe sex are correctly seen as the top risks. Within each year group, the females' knowledge is more accurate than the males'. (p.122)
Precautions against HIV
More males than females say they will not take care of getting infected with the HIV virus. Over 20% of the 12-13 year old males say 'no' or 'not sure'. (p.123)
Birth control services
49% of the 14-15 year old females knew about the service for young people, and knowledge grew with age. 53% of the older males did not know of a source of free condoms whereas two-thirds of the females said they did know. (p.124-125)
Section 9: The Primary Questionnaire Responses (10-11 year olds) [ Top ]
This section contains responses from primary children in Year 6 that are not contained in the previous eight sections.
Schoolday breakfast
Cereal is a firm favourite. 10-11 year old primary pupils generally appear to be more careful than secondary pupils to have a substantial breakfast (p.128)
Vegetarian diet
7% are vegetarian. (p.129)
Being bullied
Around 25% experience some form of bullying. Playtime and lunchtime can cause anxiety for up to 16% of 10 - 11 year olds. (p.130-131)
'Stranger danger'
30% (which has been consistent for a number of years) report that they have been scared or upset by an adult stranger. 21% ran away when approached by a stranger (p.132-133)
Bicycle ownership
Almost 90% of 10-11 year olds have a bike but other data suggest that they don't necessarily cycle, particularly females, and few cycle to school. (p.134)
Alcoholic drinks
Over 60% have tasted wine. Males top the list in all categories of alcoholic drink except wine. 20% of the 10-11 yr old males drank alcohol in the previous week. (p.135-l36)
Smoking
At least 19% said 'maybe' or 'yes' to smoking when they are older. Over 78% said that they didn't think they will smoke. (p.137)
AIDS
39% of 10-11 yr old males do not know of an illness called AIDS (or HIV). Only about 12% of Year 6 teachers have talked to their pupils about AIDS (or HIV), at least according to the recollection of the pupils. Parents are the most likely source of information. (p.138-139)
Talking about drugs
Up to 70% of 10-11 year olds said they would like their parents to talk to them about drugs. (p.140)
Pocket money
Nearly half the sample receive regular weekly pocket money. (p.141)
Playtime and dinner time
22% of females compared with 19% of males report reading. Males' reading at playtime/dinner time has decreased from 29% since 1997. (p.142)