2008-12-31-世界卫生组织-2009_GSHS_Country_Report_Maldives_88页_1mb

2009 Maldives Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) Country Report Summary

Core Content

The 2009 Maldives Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) was conducted by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health and Family, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It aimed to collect data on health behaviors and protective factors among students aged 13–15 years (grades 8–10) to support the development of school health and youth health programs, facilitate international comparisons, and track trends in health risk behaviors.

Main Purpose

• To provide data on health behaviors and protective factors among students.
• To help countries prioritize and advocate for school health programs.
• To enable comparisons between countries on health behaviors.
• To establish trends in health behaviors for evaluating school health initiatives.

Key Findings

Demographics

• The survey included 3,241 students from 39 schools.
• The sample was evenly distributed between male (49.5%) and female (50.6%) students.
• The majority (60%) were aged 13–15, with a smaller proportion (38.6%) aged 16 or older.
• Grade distribution: 37.1% in Grade 8, 33.5% in Grade 9, and 29.3% in Grade 10.

Dietary Behaviors

• 22.7% of students ate fruit two or more times per day.
• Male students (26.4%) were more likely to consume fruit than female students (19.3%).
• 10.1% of students ate vegetables three or more times per day.
• Male students (12.6%) were more likely to eat vegetables than female students (7.7%).
• Students in Male' (5.2% fruit, 7.5% vegetables) had lower intakes compared to Atoll students (24.7% fruit, 11.2% vegetables).
• 6.9% of students experienced hunger most of the time or always.
• Students in Atoll (7.6%) were more likely to experience hunger than those in Male' (5.2%).

Hygiene Behaviors

• 8.0% of students did not clean or brush their teeth in the past 30 days.
• Male students (9.9%) were more likely to skip dental hygiene than female students (6.0%).
• 9.3% of students in Atoll did not clean or brush their teeth, compared to 4.7% in Male'.
• 8.3% of students never or rarely washed their hands before eating.
• Male students (10.7%) were more likely than female students (5.7%) to skip handwashing before meals.
• 5.9% of students never or rarely washed their hands after using the toilet.
• 46.1% of students who washed hands at school did not use soap.
• Male students (47.9%) were more likely than female students (43.8%) to skip using soap.
• Students in Atoll (41.8%) were less likely to use soap than those in Male' (55.1%).

Violence and Unintentional Injury

• Over one-third (37.7%) of students were bullied on one or more days in the past 30 days.
• Male students (41.2%) were more likely to be bullied than female students (34.2%).
• Students in Atoll (46.0%) were more likely to report bullying than those in Male' (58.0%).
• 47.6% of male students and 29.2% of female students reported being physically attacked in the past 12 months.
• Students in Atoll (41.7%) were more likely to be physically attacked than those in Male' (30.7%).

Mental Health

• 19.9% of students seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months.
• Students in Atoll had higher rates of suicidal thoughts than those in Male'.
• 16.1% of female students and 17.8% of male students reported experiencing sexual abuse.

Tobacco Use

• 11.6% of students reported current tobacco use.
• Male students (17.7%) were more likely to smoke than female students (5.5%).
• 57.5% of students reported that people smoked in their presence in the past 7 days.
• Male students (61.1%) were more likely to witness smoking than female students (54.1%).

Alcohol Use

• 6.7% of students reported current alcohol use.
• Male students (9.1%) were more likely to drink than female students (4.2%).

Drug Use

• 5.4% of students reported lifetime drug use.
• Male students (7.5%) were more likely to use drugs than female students (3.2%).
• 67.7% of students who used drugs first tried before age 13.
• 46.9% of students felt their parents or guardians knew what they were doing with their free time.
• Male students (42.6%) were less likely than female students (51.1%) to feel their parents or guardians were aware of their free time.

Sexual Behaviors

• 70.7% of students had heard of HIV or AIDS.
• Students in Male' (80.1%) were more likely to have heard of HIV than those in Atoll (66.6%).
• Male students (67.2%) were less likely than female students (74.3%) to have heard of HIV.
• 30.3% of students missed school without permission in the past 30 days.
• Male students (34.5%) were more likely to miss school than female students (27.5%).
• Students in Atoll (32.1%) were more likely to miss school than those in Male' (26.4%).

Physical Activity

• 25.5% of students were physically active for at least 60 minutes on five or more days in the past 7 days.
• Male students (29.3%) were more likely to be physically active than female students (21.9%).
• 41.6% of students spent three or more hours per day on sitting activities.
• Male students (43.5%) were more likely to engage in sedentary behavior than female students (39.7%).

Protective Factors

• 28.5% of students reported that their parents or guardians checked their homework.
• 49.6% of students felt their school environment was kind and helpful.
• Male students (43.5%) were less likely than female students (55.7%) to feel this.
• Students in Atoll (46.0%) were less likely than those in Male' (58.0%) to report a supportive school environment.

Key Recommendations

• Disseminate the results to stakeholders to raise awareness about the health issues faced by students.
• Develop advocacy materials targeting school heads, teachers, public health workers, and parents.
• Implement the Health Promoting School Initiative (MHPSI) to improve the health and wellbeing of students, staff, families, and the community.
• Strengthen skills-based health education to develop communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills in students.
• Continue with GSHS surveillance to monitor trends in health risk behaviors and protective factors.

Conclusion

The 2009 Maldives GSHS highlights significant health challenges among adolescents, including high rates of suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol use, bullying, poor dietary habits, and inadequate hygiene practices. These issues are more pronounced in rural Atoll areas than in urban Male'. The survey underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve student health, promote healthy behaviors, and create supportive school environments.