Well-being among Greenlandic students

To describe and gain more knowledge of self-perceived health status and behavior among schoolchildren in Greenland, in order to provide a basis for future actions in health promotion.

Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to students through their schools. Students aged 11 to 17 years in public school were included. The survey covered most of Greenland, and approximately 4,700 students participated.

The results focus on three age groups: 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds. The number of students in each age group were: 11 years: 542, 13 years: 548, and 15 years: 413. Perceived health: 56% of the 11-year-olds felt "very healthy", as did 36% of the 13-year-olds and 25% of the 15-year-olds, with no significant differences by gender. The child who feels healthy is more likely to be a happy child, is more likely to feel self-confident, and is less likely to feel lonely. Feeling healthy is also strongly associated with avoiding health risks like smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs.

Feeling healthy was strongly associated with avoiding health risks. Therefore, it is important to encourage good health and build up young peoples' self-confidence.