The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #48679

Ronaldo Iachan, PhD¹, Peter Scheidt, MD, MPH², Eleanor Smith-Khuri, MD², Lori Marshall, MHS³, and james ross, PhD¹. (1) ORC Macro, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705, (2) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/DHHS, 6100 Executive Blvd., Rockville, MD 20016, 301-496-5064, riachan@macroint.com, (3) Macro International, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705

Aggressive behavior is a significant public health problem in the adolescent population in the United States, but it is also of great concern in other developed countries. Occasional fighting is a relatively common behavior for junior high school youths in the U.S, and strong relationships have been demonstrated between frequent fighting and other manifestations of violence, risk-taking behavior, and misconduct. While substantial information is available on violent behavior in the adolescent population of the United States, similar information for other countries is limited and greatly needed.

This study uses data from the 1998 World Health Organization Study of Health Behavior in School Children (HBSC) to investigate whether there are international variations in violence levels. The HBSC surveys health risk behaviors, lifestyles, and their context in adolescents in multiple, developed countries with standardized procedures. This information allows the assessment of country-specific rates of violent behaviors and violence risk behaviors, and for cross-national comparisons of violence related behaviors.

Using selected violence indicators as well as a synthetic violence index, the analyses focus on the relationships between selected risk factors and violence levels, and on potential cross-national variations in these relationships. Cross-national variations in the levels of violence, and/or in the relationships between violence and explanatory variables, would suggest that there is at least an element of cultural and environmental influences on these phenomena. Conversely, if these relationships are stable across the study countries, one may conclude that violent behavior is to some extent part of the human developmental process.

Learning Objectives: Participants in this session are expected to

• Identify risk factors for youth violence
• Recognize and understand variations in violence levels across countries
• Assess and explain cross-national differences in the relationships between risk factors and violence levels
• Identify risk factors that are mostly cultural and/or environmental, and thus modifiable

Keywords: Violence, Adolescents, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: ORC Macro survey conducted for the NICHD and other sponsors
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.