Self-Perceived Health among School-Aged Adolescents: a School-Based Study in Southern Brazil

This study identified which aspects regarding the dimensions of quality of life, in terms of body image, relationships with family and friends, rest and free time, school, well-being and lifestyles function as predictors of self-perceived health among school adolescents in the southern Brazil. The sample was composed of 3360 students, ninth graders in public schools in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre/RS (Brazil). The instruments used were: a) Health Behaviour in School Children, b) Happiness Overall Life, c) Positive and Negative Affect Scale, d) General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), e) Brief Multidimensional Scale of Life Satisfaction in Students (BMSLSS), and f) Subscale of Cohesion of the Family Environment Scale (FES). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the predictors of perceived health. The results revealed a model with nine predictor variables in the sense that being more satisfied with one’s own body, perceiving one’s eating habits as healthier compared to others of the same age, having a greater sense of happiness in their current life, being able to talk to one’s brothers/sisters about issues of concern, a perception of being thinner compared to other people of the same age, greater consumption of healthy food, greater presence of positive affects and being male contribute to a greater perception of health. The results show that, for this population, the health issues are beyond the concern over physical health or the presence or absence of symptoms, but also encompass behavioral, relational and psychological aspects, as well.