Exposure to physical and sexual violence and adverse health behaviours in African children: results from the Global School-based Student Health Survey
- 1 June 2009
- journal article
- Published by WHO Press
- Vol. 87 (6), 447-455
- https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.07.047423
Abstract
To examine associations between exposure to physical violence (PV) or sexual violence (SV) and adverse health behaviours among a sample of children in five African countries. In a cross-sectional analysis of data from Namibia, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe - countries that participated in the Global School-based Student Health Survey in 2003 or 2004 - we compared the relative frequency of several adverse health behaviours among children (primarily students 13-15 years of age) who did and who did not report exposure to PV or SV. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for such behaviours and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjusting for age and sex. Exposure to PV during the 12 months preceding the survey was reported by 27-50% (average: 42%) of the children studied in the five countries, and lifetime exposure to SV was reported by 9-33% (average: 23%). Moderate to strong associations were observed between exposure to PV or SV and measures of mental health, suicidal ideation, current cigarette use, current alcohol use, lifetime drug use, multiple sex partners and a history of sexually transmitted infection (P < 0.05 for all associations). For example, the odds of being a current cigarette smoker were higher in children involved in one fight (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.77-2.75), 2-5 fights (OR: 3.43; 95% CI: 2.54-4.63), or 6 fights or more (OR: 5.95; 95% CI: 4.37-8.11) (P for trend < 0.001) during the 12 months preceding the survey than in children unexposed to PV. Childhood exposure to PV and SV is common among African children in some countries and is associated with multiple adverse health behaviours. In developing countries, increased awareness of the frequency of exposure to violence among children and its potential health consequences may lead to heightened attention to the need for health promotion and preventive programmes that address the problem.Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- Symptoms of Tobacco Dependence After Brief Intermittent UseArchives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2007
- Childhood Abuse, Adult Health, and Health Care Utilization: Results from a Representative Community SampleAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2007
- Secular trends in risk behaviour of Cape Town grade 8 students.2006
- Cross-national Study of Fighting and Weapon Carrying as Determinants of Adolescent InjuryPEDIATRICS, 2005
- Substance abuse and behavioral correlates of sexual assault among South African adolescentsChild Abuse & Neglect, 2004
- 'Abuse of the elderly': a chapter in the World Report on Violence and Health Edited by E. G. Krug et al. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2002Age and Ageing, 2003
- Initial symptoms of nicotine dependence in adolescentsTobacco Control, 2000