San Marino. The HBSC and GYTS surveys on the lifestyles of San Marino children are underway
The initiative to investigate the lifestyles of San Marino children was presented this morning at the press conference.
Present the Secretaries of State for Education Andrea Belluzzi and for Health Roberto Ciavattathe Director of the Education Department Laura Gobbi and the Director of the Health Authority Claudio Muccioli.
The state secretariats of Health and Education give the news in a joint statement, adding: “The investigations were launched on 8 April last Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s health and lifestyle behaviors of and their families, Health-related behaviors in school-age children (HBSC – Health Behavior in School-Age Children) e Global survey on smoking in young people (GYTS – Global Youth Tobacco Survey), promoted by the World Health Organization and by the State Secretariats for Health and Education, coordinated by the ‘Health Education Table in Schools’, with the technical support of the Health Authority, in collaboration with the ISS and the schools of San Marino.
The surveys, the purpose of which is to monitor, carry out and promote behaviors related to the health, styles and life competitions of young people of educational age, have the purpose of providing useful data to stimulate and plan educational initiatives and to guide policies to the young people of San Marino. Now in its fourth edition, they involve about 300 families and 1,000 young San Marino citizens and residents who attend the Middle Schools, the High Schools and the Professional Training Center of the Republic, and are carried out through the anonymous compilation of two specific questionnaires prepared by experts from the ‘World Health Organization.
The first survey – ‘Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health behaviors and lifestyle of children and their families’ – linked to the health of children and their families’ – linked to children’s health’ OKkio alla Salute ‘ which will be carried out in 2023 – the involved students of the third grades of elementary schools and aims to know and deepen the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on issues concerning well-being, eating habits, physical activity, time spent in front of the TV or play station screen, outdoor play and sleep.
With the HBSC, which involves 11, 13, 15 and 17 year olds, dietary behaviors, physical activity, possible tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption will be investigated. The well-being of children in their life competitions such as school, family and friendships will also be assessed.
The GYTS is a specific survey on tobacco consumption, which involves the youth population between 13 and 15 years and aspects relating to active and passive smoking, the ways in which children obtain cigarettes, the knowledge of messages in favor o against smoking, acts against smokers and also on the desire to quit smoking.
The surveys, which will be carried out in the current year and in 2023, will also be useful to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the habits and lifestyles of San Marino children. In fact, it will be crucial to also analyze future data to verify how much the health emergency, with the related and necessary restrictive measures, has affected and what effects it has produced, compared to pre-COVID data. If now the priority is to defeat COVID-19 and overcome the health emergency, at the same time it is necessary to face the consequences determined by the restrictions put in place.
‘OKkio alla Salute’, HBSC and GYTS are part of a wider surveillance system that allows to define the priorities on which it is necessary to intervene, to obtain useful information on the progress of diseases and risk factors, to study the influence of decisive to intervene, to identify health inequalities, to define the priorities on which and to observe changes following interventions and policies adopted “.
Andrea Belluzzi (Secretary of State for Education): ‘The continuous collaboration and dialogue between school and health, which see their constant institutional meeting in the health education table in schools, to manage and address the issue of criticism of youth discomfort that COVID he has seen a great deal. Reading and what happens among young people, especially from the pedagogical and educational point of view, will make it possible to intervene to be able, in perspective, to make the health of our society sustainable ‘.
Roberto Ciavatta (Secretary of State for Health): ‘The data obtained from the surveys there are the ways to go and the need to implement prevention and health promotion interventions that involve the direct of children, families, health workers, promote styles of healthy life strongly shared and lasting over time. I thank the students, families and teachers who make these surveys possible. ‘
Laura Gobbi (Director of the Education Department): ‘The importance of these investigations lies in the results they postpone and which are used for prevention and intervention policies. Further work will have to be done on intersectoriality and constant involvement in different ambitions of society and institutions, with specific interventions to prevent incorrect lifestyles such as tobacco use, alcohol abuse, low physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. All these interventions cannot be delegated to a single organization or institution, they must be a multidisciplinary commitment that concerns the whole of San Marino society ‘.
Claudio Muccioli (Director of the Health Authority): ‘We thank young people and families for joining the initiative: over 90% of the questionnaires returned reliable results, also thanks to the personal participation of us technicians at the time of compilation. We look forward to quick responses to find solutions to ‘fresh’ problems and to put the collected data into practice. ‘