The poor response rate in this survey dictates the need for caution in interpretation of the results. However, they suggest that the health of students is poor relative to that of their peers, and that their emotional health is more of a problem than their physical health. Public health practitioners might want to pay more attention to the health of this important and relatively neglected group. Worries about studies and money appear to be affecting students' academic work, and this should be of concern to higher education establishments.

No abstract

The purposes of this study were to provide baseline data on the peak oxygen consumption (VO2) of British children, aged 11-16 years and to examine the peak VO2 of children in relation to their pubertal stage of development. The peak VO2 of 226 boys and 194 girls was determined during either treadmill running or cycle ergometry. The sexual maturity of 320 of the children was estimated using Tanner's indices. Peak VO2 increased with chronological age in both sexes and from about the age of 12 years boys exhibited significantly higher (P less than 0.05) values than girls. Boys' peak VO2 in relation to body mass was consistent over the age range studied and was superior (P less than 0.05) to girls' values at all ages. It appears that mass-related peak VO2 is independent of sexual maturity in both sexes. The more mature boys demonstrated a significantly higher (P less than 0.05) peak VO2 (1.min-1) than the less mature boys on both ergometers. The more mature girls demonstrated significantly higher (P less than 0.05) peak VO2 (1.min-1) than the less mature girls only on the cycle ergometer. On both ergometers the differences between the peak VO2 of the girls and boys were more pronounced in the mature children whether expressed in relation to body mass or not. Comparison of the results with earlier data drawn from smaller samples failed to provide evidence to suggest that British children's peak VO2 has declined in recent years. No study with which to compare our maturity peak VO2 data appears to be available.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relation between some dental health behaviours and 2 measures of self-concept in adolescents. Data from a survey of 41142, 12-16-year-old children from 244 secondary schools throughout England were analysed to obtain information about their frequencies of toothbrushing, use of dental floss and dental attendance, and whether they recalled advice about toothbrushing, in relation to self-esteem and health locus of control (HLOC). Subjects completed a questionnaire, anonymously, in school class. The results showed a significant positive correlation (Spearman) between the frequencies of flossing and toothbrushing, in both sexes, and between social group and toothbrushing frequency, where brushing frequency increased as socio-economic status improved. Some association between use of floss and social group emerged, but this was smaller and less consistent than that observed with toothbrushing brushing frequency. Self-esteem was positively correlated with toothbrushing frequency at ages 12-15 years, while HLOC showed correlations at some ages but not others. Use of dental floss showed no relation to self-concept. Subjects with more favourable self-concept were more likely to make more frequent dental visits than those with a poorer self-view. There was a strong and consistent correlation between recalled advice about toothbrushing and lower self- esteem and external locus of control. The results are in agreement with our earlier reports and suggest that self-concept may play a significant role in mediating changes in dental health behaviour.

A survey of 7770 schoolchildren, aged 14-15 years, from 131 secondary schools in England, was made in 1990 to obtain information about toothbrushing frequency, motivation for mouth care, frequency of dental visits, self-esteem and health locus of control (HLOC). The aim of the study was to compare self-esteem and HLOC as predictors of dental health behaviour. Subjects completed a questionnaire, anonymously, in class during normal school hours. The results showed significant associations (chi 2 test) between the 3 dental variables and self-esteem, in both sexes. Toothbrushing frequency and the proportions of subjects brushing to make their teeth feel clean increased with increasing self-esteem; recent and distant visits to the dentist were associated with low self-esteem. Only toothbrushing frequency showed any significant variation with HLOC. In males, this association showed more frequent toothbrushing with more internal HLOC, but in females, no consistent pattern emerged. HLOC scores showed markedly less correlation (Spearman) with frequencies of toothbrushing and dental visits compared with self-esteem scores. Significant positive correlations were observed between toothbrushing frequency and self-esteem in both sexes, and frequency of dental visits in males, but not in females. HLOC showed a significant positive correlation only with toothbrushing frequency in males. The correlation between toothbrushing frequency and self-esteem was significantly greater than that between brushing frequency and HLOC, in both sexes. The results suggest that self-esteem, which is a general construct, may have more potential for predicting dental health behaviour than the more specific health-related measure HLOC.