Factors related to adolescents' self-perceived health

This analysis examines self-perceived health among Canadian adolescents aged 12 to 17, and factors associated with ratings of very good/excellent health.

The data are from cycle 1.1 of the 2000/01 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), conducted by Statistics Canada. The sample consisted of 12,715 adolescents aged 12 to 17.

Cross-tabulations were used to estimate the prevalence of various characteristics and health behaviours for the 12-to-14 and 15-to-17 age groups. Multiple logistic regression was used to model associations between very good/excellent self-reported health and selected characteristics.

In 2000/01, nearly 30% of 12- to 17-year-olds rated their health as poor, fair or good. At ages 15 to 17, girls were less likely than boys to report very good/excellent health and were more likely to have a chronic condition and to have experienced depression in the past year. When other factors were taken into account, the odds of reporting very good/excellent health were significantly lower for teens who were daily smokers, episodic heavy drinkers, physically inactive during leisure time, infrequent consumers of fruit and vegetables, or obese, compared with teens who did not have these characteristics.