161044 Self-Reported Poor or Fair Health and Involvement in Violent Behaviors and Exposures: Significant Associations among U.S. High School Students

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Robert M. Bossarte, PhD , Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Monica H. Swahn, PhD , Institute of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Matthew J. Breiding, PhD , Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Objective: To examine associations between poor or fair self-reported health and involvement in violent behaviors or exposures among U.S. high school students.

Method: Data were from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey administered to a nationally representative sample of high school students (n=13,953). Cross-sectional logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between poor or fair self-reported health and each of the five violence-related measures (i.e., date violence victimization, physical fighting, injuries from fighting, suicide attempts, and safety concerns) while controlling for demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, gender, grade) and other potential confounders including smoking, drinking alcohol, depression, fruit and vegetable consumption, and history of a physical disability or existing health conditions. Analyses are presented for all students and also stratified by sex, race, and ethnicity.

Results: In our study, 7.2% of students reported poor or fair self-reported health. A greater percentage of girls, African-Americans, and Hispanic students reported poorer self-reported health than boys or white students. Poor or fair self-reported health was significantly associated with fighting (ORadj=1.29; 95%CI:1.07-1.57), receiving injuries from a fight (ORadj.=1.62; 95%CI:1.11-2.38), suicide attempts (ORadj.=1.69; 95%CI:1.34-2.13), and feeling unsafe (ORadj.=1.53; 95%CI:1.08-2.17) after controlling for demographic characteristics and other potential confounders.

Conclusions: Poor or fair self-reported health was significantly associated with four of the five violence-related behaviors included in these analyses. Future prospective studies should consider the impact of involvement in violent behaviors and perceptions of well-being. Additionally, the potential impact of poor or fair health on involvement in violent behaviors needs to also be considered.

Learning Objectives:
1) Discuss the relationships between violence and perceptions of health among adolescents 2) Identify differences in the associations between different forms of violence and perceptions of health 3) Discuss the impact of experiences and behaviors on the overall health and well-being of adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Violence and Psychiatric Epidemiology Poster Session
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