WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION STUDY OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

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The WHO coordinates a quadrennial survey that compares health behavior in adolescents in 27 countries. The survey is used to monitor and investigate patterns, determinants and effects of health related behaviors including smoking, substance use, and injury behavior. NICHD staff attended meetings with the international working group to learn about the process of comparing the data and results of the most recent international studies. The U.S. has been provisionally accepted as a participating member subject to successful completion of a survey meeting the tight requirements of the WHO-HBSC steering committee. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has funded and fielded a U.S. school-based survey that will meet the preliminary criteria for U.S. participation in the WHO-HBSC project. The successful completion and analysis of the U.S. survey and linkage to the existing data of the ongoing WHO surveys will allow the U.S. to compare behavior and related injury factors to data from 27 countries of Europe, Canada, and elsewhere. The Epidemiology and Human Learning and Behavior Branches of NICHD are collaborating with SAMHSA to conduct the data analysis for both the U.S. and international data sets. NICHD will focus particularly on injury comparisons. The data will prove invaluable for both international and domestic comparisons of injury and related behaviors in adolescents to target interventions since injury is the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.