READING: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Canada 2014 Study

This vocabulary set defines key concepts, statistical scales, and health indicators used in the 2014 HBSC National Report to analyze the relationships and health behaviours of Canadian youth.

Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)

A continuing cross-national research project conducted in collaboration with the WHO, focusing on the health, well-being, and health behaviours of young people aged 11 to 15 years.

Family Support Scale

A composite measure (Cronbach’s alpha 0.91) consisting of four items: family trying to help, emotional support, ability to talk about problems, and help with making decisions.

School Climate Scale

A measure of the school environment based on fairness of rules, being a nice place to be, individual sense of belonging, and subjective liking of school.

Community Support Scale

A measure of social capital assessing neighbourhood social relationships (people saying hello), safety (children playing outside), trust, quality places to spend free time, and neighbourly help.

Physical Activity Guidelines

The health recommendation for children and youth to engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day of the week.

Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines

The standard recommending that adolescents limit recreational screen time to no more than 2 hours per day.

Sleep Duration Recommendations

National Sleep Foundation guidelines suggesting 9 to 11 hours per night for ages 6-13 and 8 to 10 hours for ages 14-17.

Sleep Quality

Indicators of how sleep is experienced, including being rested after waking and absence of difficulty falling asleep.

Food Insecurity

Limited or uncertain access to adequate food for an active, healthy life, often indicated by a student going to school or bed hungry.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A calculation used to determine body weight status, defined as weight in kg divided by height in m^2 (rac{ ext{weight}}{ ext{height}^2}).

Weight-Related Teasing

A form of bullying involving making fun of an individual’s body weight or shape; reported by 35\% of students classified as obese.

Psychosomatic Symptoms

Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach aches, and dizziness that may lack a clear organic cause and often correlate with emotional distress.

Prosocial Behaviour

Positive actions intended to help others, such as doing favours, lending things, or sharing without being asked.

Spiritual Health Domains

A four-dimensional concept encompassing connections to self (meaning/purpose), others (kindness/forgiveness), nature (connectedness/care), and the transcendent (meditation/prayer).

Binge Drinking (Hazardous Drinking)

Consuming 5 or more drinks for males and 4 or more for females on a single occasion.

Bullying

Repeated, unwanted aggressive behaviour involving a power imbalance, which can be physical, verbal, relational, or electronic.

Cyberbullying

Victimization occurring through electronic means, such as mean instant messages, social media posts, or unflattering pictures posted online without permission.

Social capital

The benefits of social networks, such as mutual trust and cooperation, derived from group affiliations and community relationships.