Essstörungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Associations between problematic mobile phone use and psychological parameters in young adults

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to address possible associations between excessive or dysfunctional use of mobile phones and certain psychological variables.

METHODS

Our study focuses on Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PU) in 196 young adults. A survey was arranged to measure PU, daily mobile phone use in minutes, use of short message service (SMS) and also included psychological and health variables (e.g., chronic stress, depression).

RESULTS

Statistic analysis indicates that chronic stress, low emotional stability, female gender, young age, depression, and extraversion are associated with PU.

CONCLUSIONS

Future research needs to clarify the causality of these findings and should also intend to develop concepts for a more meaningful use of mobile phone and related technologies.

Assessing psychopathological problems of children and adolescents from 3 to 17 years in a nationwide representative sample: results of the German health interview and examination survey for children and adolescents (KiGGS)

BACKGROUND

Reliable information on the prevalence of mental health problems in children and adolescents in the general population in Germany is scarce. With the German health and examination survey for children and adolescents (KiGGS) data is available for the first time on psychopathological problems for the complete age range from 3 to 17 years.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate prevalence rates for several groups with broadly defined psychopathology and to report distributions of psychopathological problems for total and fine-grained subgroups according to age, gender, socioeconomic status (SES), migration of children and adolescents from 3 to 17 years.

METHODS

The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) parent version was completed for 14,478 children and adolescents from 3 to 17 years. Data was collected from May 2003 to May 2006 from 167 representative sample points all over Germany. Prevalence rates of SDQ scales were calculated. Effects of age, gender, socio-economic status and migration status were determined.

RESULTS

A total of 18.5% of the boys and girls were classified as 'borderline or abnormal' in the total difficulties score and thus determined as risk group for public health policies. Analyses of Variance showed significant effects for age and gender, SES and migration status. Significant interactions between age and gender were found for the total difficulties, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention and the emotional symptoms scores; significant interaction between SES and migration status was found for the prosocial behaviour score.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence rates of psychopathological problems in children and adolescents are in line with other published findings. Younger age, lower SES and migration are related to more psychopathological problems. While girls display more emotional problems, boys have more externalizing problems.

Disordered eating behaviour and attitudes, associated psychopathology and health-related quality of life: results of the BELLA study

OBJECTIVE

To identify disordered eating behaviour and attitudes in a large representative population in order to determine the relationship with body weight status, and to assess associated psychopathology and health-related quality of life.

METHODS

A total of 11-17 year-old adolescents (n=1,895) were randomly selected from the national representative sample of 17,641 families participating in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Weight and height were assessed by trained staff. Mental health problems and health-related quality of life were examined by means of a telephone interview and different questionnaires. Eating disordered behaviour and attitudes were identified by the SCOFF, an instrument consisting of five questions originally developed to screen for eating disorders in clinical settings.

RESULTS

About one third of the girls and 15% of the boys reported disordered eating behaviour and attitudes, which were most prevalent in overweight youth. There was a significant association between the presence of disordered eating behaviour and psychopathology, which was comprised of internalising and externalising behavioural problems. In addition, adolescents with disordered eating behaviour reported reduced quality of life.

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of disordered eating in the general population of Germany is of great concern. Health professionals should not only be aware of disordered eating in underweight adolescents, but in all youth, especially overweight individuals. Disordered eating behaviour is associated with a wide range of psychopathological and psychosocial concerns. Thus, youngsters engaging in disordered eating behaviour should also be explored for other serious mental or social problems.

Perceived or true obesity: which causes more suffering in adolescents? Findings of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)

INTRODUCTION

The consequences of perceived obesity on quality of life are compared with those of genuine obesity in adolescents.

METHODS

Within the framework of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), the height and weight of the participants were measured. Children over 11 years of age were asked whether they thought of themselves as underweight, normal, or overweight. As a measure of their health-related quality of life they completed the internationally employed KINDL-R generic questionnaire.

RESULTS

While 74.8% of 11- to 17-year-old girls and boys are of normal weight, only 40.4% believe that they are "just the right weight." Only 60.9% of obese girls and 32.2% of obese boys think of themselves as overweight. The data showed that genuinely obese adolescents, as classified by body mass index, have a better quality of life than those who only perceive themselves as being overweight.

DISCUSSION

A realistic body image on the part of obese adolescents is a prerequisite for their acceptance of interventions. The marked deterioration in quality of life resulting from perceived obesity, even for young people of normal weight, illustrates the complexity of the struggle against obesity.

[Prevalence of somatic diseases in German children and adolescents. Results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)]

In the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS), which was conducted from 2003 to 2006, data on acute/infectious and chronic diseases were collected from a population-based sample of 17,641 subjects aged 0 to 17 years. The annual prevalence rates among acute diseases vary widely. Children and adolescents are most frequently affected by acute (infectious) respiratory conditions. 88.5 % of the surveyed children and adolescents experienced at least one episode of common cold within the last 12 months. Among the other acute respiratory infections, bronchitis and tonsillitis were the most frequently encountered conditions with 19.9 % and 18.5 %, respectively. The 12-month prevalence of otitis media and pseudocroup was 11 % and 6.6 %, respectively. 1.5 % of the children and adolescents experienced an episode of pneumonia. Apart from respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections were very frequently stated as reasons for acute illness. Furthermore, 12.8 % of the children and adolescents experienced a herpetic infection, 7.8 % a conjunctivitis and 4.8 % a urinary tract infection. Lifetime prevalence rates of infectious diseases were as follows: pertussis 8.7 %, measles 7.4 %, mumps 4.0 %, rubella 8.5 %, varicella 70.6 %, scarlet fever 23.5 %. The various chronic somatic diseases in children and adolescents had different lifetime prevalence rates. Most frequently, children and adolescents were affected by obstructive bronchitis (13.3 %), neurodermatitis/atopic eczema (13.2 %) and hay fever (10.7 %). Scoliosis and asthma had been diagnosed by a doctor in 5.2 % and 4.7 % of subjects aged 0-17 years, respectively. The lifetime prevalence rates of the remaining diseases varied between 0.14 % for diabetes mellitus and 3.6 % for convulsions/epileptic fits. For the first time ever, these survey results provide nationwide representative information on the prevalence rates of acute/infectious and chronic diseases in children and adolescents which is based on a population-representative sample.

Der Kinder- und Jugendgesundheitssurvey (KiGGS): Ein Überblick über Planung, Durchführung und Ergebnisse unter Berücksichtigung von Aspekten eines Qualitätsmanagements

The aim of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) was to improve the information available on the health of the up-and- coming generation in Germany and to fill gaps in knowledge. This was to be done using a nationwide representative investigation and survey of children and adolescents aged 0 to 17. From May 2003 to May 2006, 17,641 girls and boys took part in the study at 167 locations in Germany; along with their parents' input they provided a unique pool of information. From the point of view of quality management, there is a description of the planning, structures, efficient use of funding, implementation and planned evaluation of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). In this description, the quality achieved is evaluated by comparing what was actually achieved with the targets set. In this manner, a comprehensive overview can be provided of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS): what it concerns, its modular structure, the co-operation partners involved, institutions financing it, regulatory processes accompanying it and strategies for evaluation. At the same time, it is shown how the individual publications in the journal for public health, health research and health protection (Bundesgesundheitsblatt) special issue no. 5/6 2007 connect to one another and to the issue as a whole.