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Smith L, López Sánchez GF, Oh H, Jacob L, Kostev K, Rahmati M, Butler L, Keyes H, Barnett Y, Yon DK, Shin JI, Koyanagi A. Temporal Trends of Physical Fights and Physical Attacks Among Adolescents Aged 12-15 years From 30 Countries From Africa, Asia, and the Americas. J Adolesc Health 2024; 74:996-1005. [PMID: 38310506 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE There is a scarcity of literature on temporal trends in physical fighting and physical attacks among the global adolescent population. Therefore, we aimed to examine these trends in a nationally representative sample of school-going adolescents aged 12-15 years from 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, for which temporal trends of physical fighting and physical attacks are largely unknown. METHODS Cross-sectional data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey 2003-2017 were analyzed. Self-reported data on past 12-month physical fights and physical attacks were collected. For each survey, the prevalence and 95% confidence interval of physical fights and physical attacks were calculated. Linear regression models were used to examine crude linear trends. RESULTS Data on 190,493 students aged 12-15 years were analyzed [mean (standard deviation) age 13.7 (1.0) years; 48.9% boys]. The mean prevalence of past 12-month physical fight and physical attack was 36.5% and 37.2%, respectively. Significant decreasing trends in physical fights were observed in 16/30 countries, while significant increasing trends were found in 2/30 countries. For physical attacks, significant decreasing and increasing trends were observed in 13/26 and 1/26 countries, respectively. The remaining countries showed stable trends. DISCUSSION It is encouraging that decreasing trends in physical fighting and physical attacks were observed across a large number of countries. However, stable trends were also common, while increasing trends also existed, suggesting that global efforts to address adolescent violence are still required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Smith
- Centre for Health Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Guillermo F López Sánchez
- Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Hans Oh
- Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Louis Jacob
- Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Dr. Antoni Pujadas, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; AP-HP, Université Paris Cité, Lariboisière-Fernand Widal Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Paris, France
| | | | - Masoud Rahmati
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Lorestan University, Khoramabad, Iran; Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Vali-E-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Laurie Butler
- Centre for Health Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Keyes
- School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yvonne Barnett
- Centre for Health Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Dong Keon Yon
- Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jae Il Shin
- Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Severance Underwood Meta-research Center, Institute of Convergence Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ai Koyanagi
- Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Dr. Antoni Pujadas, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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