Validation of global school-based student health survey in Bahrain

Abstract

The Global school-based student health survey (GSHS) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in affiliation with other organizations to obtain data on young people’s health behaviour and protective factors related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children and young adults. This report discusses results from the first Global school-based student health survey carried out in Bahrain which assesses and measures students’ behavioural risk and protective factors with the aim of promoting health among schoolchildren. The GSHS includes students aged 13–17 and employed a two-stage sample design involving a school and class level. We sampled 64 schools, including 320 classes from grades 7–11. The ten core questionnaire modules address the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adults worldwide. The overall response rate was 89%, 3,685 (51.1%) were males. 5,843 (84.5%) were between the ages of 13 to 17. Almost 40% were overweight, and 18.2% of the students were obese. Overall, 1,452 (23%) of the students were not physically active, with a higher representation of the female students; 774 (53%). About 27% have smoked cigarettes, 70.7% of whom are males, and 3.1% of students reported using drugs, 76% of them are males. 616 (19%) of students had food from fast-food restaurants for five or more days of the week. 24% never or rarely consumed breakfast, while 47% consumed fruits less than once per day, of whom 53% are female. The survey showed alarming rates of obesity, overweight and unhealthy food practices among school students. The lifestyle behaviours identified in this study will inform community-based intervention to help the country develop priorities, establish programs and advocate for resources for school health programs.

Keywords:

• Lifestyle
• students
• schools
• Bahrain
• GSHS report

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Ministry of education for their collaboration and assistance in completing this survey. This paper uses data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS). GSHS is supported by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

• GSHS data release and publication policies and procedures are based on the following guiding principles:

• GSHS data are owned by the official country-level agency (ex. Ministry of Health) conducting or sponsoring the survey.

• Public health and scientific advancement are best served by an open and timely exchange of data and data analyses.

• The privacy of participating schools and students must be protected.

• Data quality must be maintained. https://extranet.who.int/ncdsmicrodata/index.php/catalog/654

Disclaimer

The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or interpretations, or inferences based upon such uses.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/27707571.2022.2120576

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.