Factors associated with good self-rated health in European adolescents: a population-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate self-reported health status and associated factors. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the participants were 6501 adolescents (52% females) aged 14-19 years from three European countries: Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia. Self-rated health was assessed by using one item question: "How would you perceive your health?" The answers were arranged along a 5-point Likert-type scale: (1) very poor, (2) poor, (3) fair, (4) good and (5) excellent. The outcome was binarized as "good" (fair, good and excellent) and "poor" health (very poor and poor). Potential factors associated with self-rated health included demographic (age, gender, socioeconomic status and body-mass index), social (social capital) and lifestyle (physical activity and psychological distress) variables. RESULTS: In both univariate and multivariate models, being older, being a boy, having higher level of family, neighbourhood and school social capital, participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity more frequently and having low psychological distress were associated with good self-rated health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest strong associations between social and lifestyle factors and self-rated health. Other explanatory variables will require future research.

Physical self-concept of adolescents in Western Balkan countries: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to explore physical self-concept of adolescents of the Western Balkans (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) according to sex and country. The participants were 2,606 students, ages 13 and 14 years (M = 13.5, SD = 0.9). The Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) was used to assess multidimensional physical self-concept. The results show the interaction of sex and country for three dimensions of physical self-concept (Appearance, Global Physical Self-Concept, and Self-Esteem). It was shown that female and male adolescents' perception of physical appearance, self-esteem, and global physical self-concept is more susceptible to influences of socio-cultural factors in the monitored countries. In all other dimensions of Physical self-concept, sex differences were consistently manifested in favour of male adolescents, except in Flexibility. Regardless of adolescents' sex, under the increasing influence of Western culture in the Western Balkan countries, adolescents more critically evaluate their body and motor abilities.