Annual Report of the Department of Health 2010 - Unrwa

THE 2010 UNRWA - SYRIA GLOBAL SCHOOL HEALTH SURVEY (GSHS)
To measure dietary behaviours, drug use, hygiene, mental health, physical activity, protective factors, tobacco use, violence and unintentional
injury among school children 13-15 years in UNRWA schools, a two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce data representative
of all students in grades 7th, 8th, and 9th in UNRWA – Syria. At the first stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to
enrolment size. At the second stage, classes were randomly selected and all students in selected classes were eligible to participate. The
school response rate was 100%, the student response rate was 94%, and the overall response rate was 94%. A total of 2,120 students
participated in the UNRWA Syria GSHS. Students self -reported their responses to each question on a computer-scanned answer sheet. For
comparison purposes, only students aged 13-15 years were included in the analyses.
- Dietary Behaviours: the survey revealed that 52.0% of students (53.5% males, 50.3% females) usually drank carbonated soft drinks one or
more times per day during the past 30 days.
- Drug Use: 2.3% of surveyed students (3.6% males, 0.9% females) used marijuana one or more times during their life.
- Hygiene: the survey indicated that 26.9% of students (33.3% males, 19.8% females) usually cleaned or brushed their teeth less than one
time per day during the past 30 days.2.4% of students (2.0% males, 2.4% females) reported that they never or rarely washed their hands
after using the toilet or latrine during the past 30 days.
- Mental Health: the percentage of students who ever seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months amounted to
22.0%, (19.7% males, 24.3% females). 7.0% of students (6.0% males, 8.2% females) had no close friends.
- Physical Activity: the survey indicated that only 23.1% of students (29.3% males, 16.3% females) were physically active for a total of at least
60 minutes per day on five or more days during the past seven days. 43.1% of students (47.5% males, 38.3% females) went to physical
education (PE) class on three or more days each week during the school year and the percentage of students who spent three or more
hours per day during a typical or usual day doing sitting activities reached 30.2% (30.9% males, 29.4% females).
- Protective Factors: 34.7% of students (36.2% males, 32.9% females) missed classes or school without permission on one or more of the
past 30 days. 41.1% of students (39.8%males, 42.7% females) stated that their parents or guardians understood their problems and worries
most of the time or always during the past 30 days and 46.8% of students (48.2% males, 45.4%females) stated that their parents or
guardians really knew what they were doing with their free time most of the time or always during the past 30 days.
- Tobacco Use: the percentage of students who smoked cigarettes on one or more days during the past 30 days reached 11.4% (17.0%
males, 5.4% females). Among students who ever smoked cigarettes, the percentage who first tried a cigarette before age 14 years was
79.9% and the percentage of students who reported people smoked in their presence on one or more days during the past seven days
was 71.7%, (71.3% males, 72.1% females).
- Violence and Unintentional Injury: the percentage of students who took part in a physical fight one or more times during the past 12
months reached 42.8% (60.5%males, 24.0% females). 35.8% of students(45.7%males, 24.5% females) reported that they were seriously
injured one or more times during the past 12 months and the percentage of students who were bullied on one or more days during the
past 30 days reached 59.9%(64.7%males, 55.0% females).
THE 2010 UNRWA - GAZA GLOBAL SCHOOL HEALTH SURVEY (GSHS)
To measure dietary behaviours, drug use, hygiene, mental health, physical activity, protective factors, tobacco use, violence and unintentional
injury among school children 13-15 years in UNRWA schools, a two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce data
representative of all students in grades 7th, 8th, and 9th in UNRWA - Gaza. At the first stage, schools were selected with probability proportional
to enrolment size. At the second stage, classes were randomly selected and all students in selected classes were eligible to
participate. The school response rate was 100%, the student response rate was 95%, and the overall response rate was 95%. A total of 2,122
students participated in the UNRWA - Gaza GSHS. Students self-reported their responses to each question on a computer-scanned answer
sheet. For comparison purposes, only students aged 13-15 years were included in the analyses.
- Dietary Behaviours: the survey revealed that 5.9% of students (8.0% males, 3.5% females) were underweight ,20.2% overweight (18.1%
males, 22.6% males), 4.0% obese (4.5% males, 3.5% females) and that 41.6% of students (42.2% males 40.6% females) usually drank
carbon ated soft drinks one or more times per day during the past 30 days.
- Drug Use: the percentage who first used drugs before age 14 years was 88.5% and 3.5% used marijuana one or more times during their
life (5.1% males, 1.6% females).
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