Abstract
Self-rated health is a commonly used measure of physical health status. While the development of one’s perception of self-rated health likely occurs during childhood and adolescence, its development has been largely unexplored. This study addresses this issue by examining the relationship between adolescent self-rated health and personal (sex, age) and situation (family structure, family income) factors at five different time intervals to identify inter- and intra-cohort effects as well as concomitant changes in adolescent health compromising behaviour, specifically substance use. Five waves between 1989 and 1997 of the biennial Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) by the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF) consisting of 19,512 cases were examined. The results indicate the presence of both inter- and intra-cohort effects on self-rated health. In addition, health-compromising behaviours had a varied effect on self-rated health across grade. This analysis confirms some previous findings but also presents contradictory evidence by identifying the complexity of relationships among these factors and self-rated health.
Résumé
L’évaluation personnelle de sa santé est une mesure de l’état de santé physique couramment utilisée. Le développement de la perception personnelle que l’on a de sa santé se fait au cours de l’enfance et de l’adolescence mais ce développement a été peu étudié. C’est le but de cette étude qui examine les rapports qui existent entre l’évaluation personnelle de sa santé pendant l’adolescence et les facteurs personnels (sexe, âge) et du milieu (structure familiale, revenu familial) à cinq intervalles de temps différents pour identifier les effets inter- et intra-cohortes ainsi que les changements concomittants à la santé pendant l’adolescence qui nuisent au comportement, notamment pour ce qui est de la toxicomanie. On a examiné cinq vagues portant de 1989 à 1997 et comprenant 19 512 cas de l’enquête ontarienne sur la toxicomanie chez les étudiants réalisée tous les deux ans par la Fondation de la recherche sur la toxicomanie. Les résultats indiquent la présence d’effets interet intra-cohortes sur l’évaluation personnelle de sa santé. En outre, pour toutes les catégories, les comportements nuisibles à la santé avaient un effet varié sur l’évaluation personnelle de sa santé. Cette analyse confirme certains résultats précédents mais fait également apparaître des éléments contradictoires en identifiant la complexité des rapports entre ces facteurs et l’évaluation personnelle de sa santé.
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