Young Scots among happiest in Europe, says major report

A MAJOR international survey has found young people in Scotland are some of the happiest in Europe, with fewer smoking and using drugs and more brushing their teeth regularly.

A report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found young Scots had high levels of satisfaction with life, better than many of their counterparts in other countries.

However, there continue to be concerns about the amount of exercise Scottish teenagers are getting and ongoing health inequalities linked to social background.

• In full: The WH0 report (PDF)

The Scottish research, which was carried out by St Andrews University on behalf of the WHO, also found that 15-year-old girls in Scotland are drinking more and have more unprotected sex than those in many other European countries.

Published today, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) report is based on a wide-ranging survey conducted in 2009-10.

The research, which is undertaken every four years, provides a health check of young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in 39 countries across Europe and North America. The main aim of the report is to address inequalities between countries.

Trends in Scotland show young people are smoking less, using cannabis less, drinking fewer fizzy drinks and brushing their teeth more.

The findings also suggest that young people are performing well at school and are generally happy with their lot, thanks to a good, close network of friends.

Compared with teenagers across Europe, Scots rated themselves among the top at having a high life satisfaction and having at least three close friends they can talk to.

One of the researchers, Dr Jo Inchley, assistant director of the Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit at St Andrews, said: “Despite having typical teen problems, such as poor communication with parents, Scottish youngsters are generally a sociable bunch and not at all isolated.

“Not all young people have equal access to opportunities for good health and wellbeing, but generally they appear to be content with their lives. It may be that we see Scottish grit coming through.”

Young people across Europe were asked to answer questions on 60 topics related to health and wellbeing, social environments and behaviour.

One area in which young Scots ranked themselves particularly highly was in the use of electronic media, such as Facebook and texting.

The researchers said this was possibly one of the reasons why young people were so content, as using social media and mobile phones was allowing them to spend more time with friends than ever before.

The report, which takes into account differences across age, gender and socio-economic circumstances, has been issued every four years since 1996.

NHS Health Scotland, the national agency for health improvement, has been one of the main funding bodies for the international co-ordination of HBSC for eight years. It also funded the Scottish side of the study.

Gerry McLaughlin, chief executive of NHS Health Scotland, said: “Research studies like the HBSC survey are significant. They give us access to the true picture of the challenges faced by young people today.

“Scotland’s results provide cause for both comfort and concern. On the whole, the health of Scotland’s young people compares well to that of their European counterparts.”

Mr McLaughlin continued: “However, what is worrying is that, despite the fact that young people are showing signs of more positive health awareness, it is apparent that socio-economic factors play a key part in determining better health.

“Persistent health inequalities are highlighted within the report, predominantly linked to family affluence, and therefore it is more important than ever that we continue to focus our efforts on creating a fairer, healthier Scotland.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is good news that young Scots are among the happiest in Europe and see themselves performing well at school.

“Reductions in cannabis use, smoking, soft drinks consumption and an increase in tooth-brushing are all to be welcomed and show that the action that the Scottish Government and our partners are taking in these areas is starting to bear fruit.

“However, the report also highlights a number of areas where we know work remains to be done, and we have a range of measures in place to help to tackle issues like underage drinking, sexual health and physical activity.

“In particular, we have launched our Take Life On initiative to highlight simple steps parents can take to help their children get active and achieve health benefits as a result.”