Can school-related factors predict future health behaviour among young adolescents?

Although the prevention of unfavourable health behaviour among young people has high priority in public health, the possibility of finding risk factors at school has not been sufficiently studied. The objective of this study was to find predictors among young pupils for later unfavourable health behaviour, with special focus on school-related factors. A three-year prospective study was started in 1994 including 279 pupils (141 girls and 138 boys) from different socioeconomic areas. The pupils answered a comprehensive questionnaire in grade six and grade nine. The non-response rate was negligible. The best predictors for health behaviour among boys and girls in grade nine were factors related to earlier health/health behaviour. The results also indicated that school-related factors could predict future health behaviour, especially in relation to low physical activity among girls. The school has an important role to play in identification of future unfavourable health behaviour among pupils at the school, both directly through recognising school-related risk factors and also indirectly through paying special attention to pupils with unfavourable health/health behaviour. Our findings indicate the need for more research in younger ages, as negative health behaviour already seems to be established at 12 y of age.