Inventory of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Environmental and Occupational Health Data
Sources and Surveillance Activities

Inventory of Data Sources

Health Behaviours in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Database (Health Canada)

Contacts
Stéphane Racine
A/Manager, Research Division
Office of Canada's Drug Strategy
Drug Strategy and Controlled Substances Programme
Health Canada
123 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON
Tel: (613) 946-3598
E-mail: stephane_racine@hc-sc.gc.ca

Lesley Doering
Senior Research Analyst
Health Canada
Jeanne Mance Bldg, 9^th Fl.
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0K9
Tel: (613) 957-8342
E-mail: lesley_doering@hc-sc.gc.ca

Organization Maintaining the Database
Strategic Policy and Research Section
Division of Childhood and Adolescence
Centre for Healthy Human Development
Population and Public Health Branch
Health Canada

Database URL
Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/childhood-youth/spsc/e_trends.html

Purpose of Database
Data obtained from this cross-national collaborative survey of 11, 13, and 15 year-olds allows for trend comparisons of\ various adolescent health behaviours and influences on their health. More recently, the Canadian sample has been comprised of 11-15 years olds inclusive.

Content
Data on legal and illegal drugs, and on social environmental factors (e.g., violence). Data are obtained form school-based survey (of 11 to 15 year-olds) administered by pencil-and-paper questionnaire in the classroom. Data types: epidemiological; demographic; behavioural (includes data on attitudes). Also some occupational health data on mental/ fatigue and social factors such as harassment. Levels of data: group-level or aggregate data; and also person-level data without identifiers. The survey includes all provinces but uses a national sample. International data are also available.

Data coding/classification standards: World Health Organization-established protocols.

Year Database Established
1992

Coverage Period
1989/90, 1997/98; coming soon: 2001-02

Data Updates
The survey is conducted every four years and the database is subsequently updated.

Data Provider
The Social Program Evaluation Group of Queen's University. The original sources of the data are schools.

Data Availability
Health Canada is the main user of the data; Queen's University and other academics also have direct access. Security protocols restricting access, and protocols or guidelines restricting the use or disclosure of the data, are in place (includes WHO protocols). Health Canada policies, Statistics Canada policies and informal agreements between Health Canada and Queen's University are in the process of being formalized.

Reports
Every four years, in printed and electronic formats, with wide dissemination. Report, survey questionnaire, and data tables are available online. The data file is available through DAIS; and data tables available through E-stat and CANSIM II.

Additional Comments
In 1982, a small group of researchers from three countries, England, Finland and Norway, administered the first Health Behaviours in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey. By 1985-86, 11 countries were involved in the survey, and the World Health Organization (Regional Office for Europe) had taken on a coordinating role. During this time, Health Canada had also undertaken similar research on the health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young Canadians.

Under the auspices of Health Canada, the European HBSC research team invited Canada to participate in the 1989-90 survey as an associate member. Since then, Canada has participated as a full member in three subsequent HBSC surveys conducted in 1993-94, 1997-98, and 2001/02. The HBSC surveys are now administered every four years to a representative sample of 11, 13 and 15 year-olds in the participating countries. Currently, there are 36 countries participating in the survey.

Since the core questions on the HBSC survey have remained essentially the same, this seemed to be an opportune time to examine trends in the health of Canadian youth over three surveys conducted between 1990 and 1998. The latest HBSC survey was conducted for the 2001-02 school year.

All countries participating in the study are required to follow WHO International Research Protocols.

Keywords for searches: youth health trends, youth health behaviours, school-aged children, school health, HBSC.