School child attends plays big role in if they drink or smoke by 17
THE school a child attends can play a crucial role in whether they are drinking and smoking by the age of 17.
Young people’s health behaviours can vary significantly depending on the second-level school and, to a lesser extent, the primary school attended, according to a study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
Researchers highlight the importance of a positive school climate that encourages a sense of connection.
The ‘Clusters of health behaviours among young adults in Ireland’ report, based on data from the ‘Growing Up In Ireland’ study, grouped almost 5,000 17 year olds into three categories:
:: A ‘healthy’ group (43pc) who did not smoke, drank rarely, engaged in exercise on six or more days in the previous fortnight and had the best quality diet;
:: An ‘unhealthy diet and physical activity’ group (36pc), who did not smoke, drank alcohol rarely, but had the worst levels of physical activity and the poorest diet;
:: An ‘unhealthy smokers and drinkers’ group (21pc), who had the highest level of alcohol consumption, smoked, had moderate to low levels of physical activity and poor to moderate dietary quality.
Among the findings were significant gender differences in health behaviours, with young women more likely to fall into the unhealthy smoker/ drinker group and, especially, the unhealthy diet/activity groups. Young people from working-class backgrounds were also more likely to be in the unhealthy smoker/drinker group.
Parental health behaviour also made a difference with higher rates of drinking/ smoking among young people whose parents are occasional or regular smokers.
A key focus was the role of schools, and researchers drew a link between more negative attitudes to school at the age of nine and falling into an unhealthy drinker/smoker group later on, which became more obvious at second level.
By the age of 13, a poor relationship with teachers is a significant predictor of greater levels of drinking and smoking a few years later.
For 17-year-olds with poor diet and low levels of physical activity, the ESRI found differences between schools could be explained by social background, including gender, mother’s education and social class.
But in terms of the unhealthy smoker/drinker group, even when factors such as school social mix, gender mix and size were taken into account, differences between schools were still evident.
“The second-level school attended is associated with the likelihood of falling into the unhealthy/drinker smoker group,” the report states.
Unhealthy drinking/smoking was less evident if the school emphasised PE/sports and where pupils were given a greater say in school life.
Report co-author Anne Nolan said findings showed how “measures to promote both school engagement by young people and a more positive school climate, while important for educational outcomes, were likely to have positive spill-overs for other aspects of young people’s lives, including health behaviours”.
Helen Deely, of HSE Health and Wellbeing, which funded the research, said: “A positive school environment makes it more likely that young people will experience a sense of belonging and connection and less likely that young people will turn to risky health behaviours to cope with their feelings of isolation and disconnection.”