Relationship between Self-Rated Health and Lifestyle and Food Habits in Japanese High School Students

Abstract

Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective assessment of health status, is extensively used in the field of public health. It is an important and valid measure that is strongly related to morbidity, mortality, longevity and health status. Adolescence is a crucial period for the formation of health status, because health-risk behaviours (e.g., skipping breakfast) are often established during this period. In this study, we investigated the relationship of SRH with lifestyle and eating habits in Japanese high school students. In this study, 1296 students aged 16–18 years from 11 high schools in Japan participated. A questionnaire was administered to these participants that included a question on SRH, five questions on demographic characteristics, six questions on lifestyle items (e.g., wake-up time), five questions on miscellaneous health issues (e.g., anorexia), and 25 questions on food habits and attitudes towards food. We examined the differences between self-rated healthy and unhealthy groups using logistic regression analysis adjusted for gender and age. A dichotomy regression analysis was performed using a stepwise elimination method. Of the 1296 respondents, 16.7% reported feeling unhealthy, 57.7% of whom were females. The self-rated healthy group had a higher frequency of eating breakfast (odds ratio (OR): 2.13; confidence interval (CI): 1.07–4.24) and liked home meals to a greater extent (OR: 3.12; CI: 1.27–7.65) than the self-rated unhealthy group. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of other lifestyle factors or unidentified complaints. Our results suggest that liking home meals during adolescence may lead to the development of good eating habits, i.e., eating breakfast, and better SRH.

Self-Rated Health and Lifestyle/Food Habits in Japanese Junior High School Students

“…These findings suggest that SRH is a key factor affecting junior high school students' health. These data were similar to the findings of our previous study on high school students, which described five items related to miscellaneous health issues that displayed a significant relationship with SRH (Osera et al, 2017). High SRH was significantly associated with not being irritated and not suffering with headaches (Tables 2 and 3).…”

“…Some researchers have suggested that these observations indicate that morning habits are associated with the health status of adolescents (Sjoberg et al, 2003). Our previous study indicated that morning habits are a very important factor affecting high school students' SRH (Osera et al, 2017). The current study suggests that students who have good sleeping habits (i.e.…”

“…Additionally, 90.8% were included in the 'excellent to good' SRH groups. A previous study involving Japanese high school students showed that 83.3% students had 'excellent to very good' SRH (Osera et al, 2017). The number of Japanese adolescent students with a high SRH than Peru students.…”

“…In particular, a recent study has shown that dietary intake is significantly related to eating habits, suggesting that dietary behaviours significantly influence health (Sharif et al, 2016). Our previous study indicated that SRH was strongly associated with the frequency of eating breakfast and liking home-cooked meals, for Japanese high school students aged 16-18 years (Osera et al, 2017). To the best of our knowledge, not many studies have specifically investigated the relationship between SRH and lifestyle as well as food choice habits in junior high school students.…”

“…frequency of eating breakfast, food-related concerns, respect for food, watching TV while eating, and talking about food with family members). The questionnaire parameters were determined on the basis of our previous studies (Osera et al, 2016;Osera et al, 2017). Both 4-and 5-point rating scales were used, with higher scores indicating more positive food habits.…”