Barbara Woynarowska’s research while affiliated with University of Warsaw and other places

The article presents the results of a survey on the perception of the psychosocial school environment and school functioning of lower secondary school students with and without chronic conditions. Students of grades 1–3 (N = 4,058) from randomly selected 234 public lower secondary schools from all voivodships participated in the survey. In this group 3,232 (80%) students were healthy and 798 (20%) had different chronic conditions. The anonymous “Health and school” questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collections with questions from HBSC study (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) and from CHIP–AE Questionnaire (Child Health and Illness Profile: Adolescent Edition). Based on Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, dimensions of psychosocial school environment were analysed on the individual level (microsystem) and the social relations level (mesosystem). It was found that healthy students, in comparison with those with chronic conditions, perceived school environment and their functioning at school better. They have: a larger sense of school belonging, higher level of school competencies and achievements, larger sense that their grades are adequate to the results, a higher social position in the class and a higher level of support from peers, teachers and parents. Students with chronic conditions have higher level of workload, stress and problems associated with the school, and they also spend more time on homework. These students (about 20% of the population of school age) have special educational needs which depend on the specificity and the course of the disease. Identification of difficult areas in the functioning of chronically ill students in the school and knowledge of their perception of their school’s psychosocial environment will allow teachers to provide them with appropriate support.

The aim of this paper was to present the growth standards for children aged 0-5 years - which is a new tool for the assessment of health, growth and nutritional status recommended by WHO for use all over the world. These standards were elaborated in 2006 on the basis of the results of the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (a longitudinal and cross-sectional survey) carried out between 1997-2003 in Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the USA. An innovative approach to developing growth reference was applied. Healthy children living under conditions allowing them to achieve their full genetic potential were the sample of children under study. The results showed that the growth pattern of children in their early childhood in different countries, ethnic groups and of different socioeconomic status was the same when their health and care needs were met. The new standards indicate how children should grow in all countries, rather than merely describing how they grew at a particular place and time. The WHO Child Growth Standards for Children 0-5 years were adapted and used in over 100 countries. Activities designed to adapt WHO standards in Poland were undertaken in 2009. The comparison between the growth reference for Warsaw children and WHO standards showed no differences, or very small ones. Following discussion with the participation of many experts, in 2011 recommendations concerning the implementation of these standards were signed by the Committee of Human Development and the Committee of Anthropology of the Polish Academy of Science, the Main Board of the Polish Anthropological Society, the Institute of Mother and Child, and the Institute of Food and Nutrition. The percentile charts were adapted to the set of percentiles hitherto used in Poland.

to diagnose the situation regarding the infrastructure, organization of school meals, the kind of products available for students at school and the school policy on the promotion of healthy eating in the context of the increasing frequency of obesity among children and young people. The research tool was the questionnaire "School environment and health", including a section on the facilities, organization of meals and the school's policy on healthy eating. It made use of the questions from the international HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) school questionnaire. The anonymous questionnaire was sent out by post and was returned by 520 head masters of primary, lower-secondary and cluster schools. This means that 74.3% of the randomly chosen sample of schools responded. Almost 2/3 of the schools had a canteen and a school store. Hot meals were served in 84% of the schools but only in 28% of them to more than 50% of the students. School breakfast was organized by half of the schools of which 23% had it in all the classes. Almost all the schools served free meals for students with special needs. Most schools, particularly lower-secondary provided access to sweets, sweet drinks and salty snacks. Only 7-25% of schools have a written policy on limiting such products and increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, milk and whole-grain bread products. In on going national programmes: "A Glass of Milk" had a 74% participation rate (only 25% of the lower-secondary schools) and "Fruits in School" 38% (6% lower-secondary schools). The "Keep Fit" educational programme was implemented in 28% of primary schools and in 72% of lower-secondary schools. The majority of schools in Poland still do not appreciate the need for all students to eat a meal in school and have not become involved in prophylactic activities designed to prevent obesity. The undertaken activities are incoherent. There is a need to create a policy on healthy nutrition at school at the national, regional, local and school level.

to present the relationship between early sexual initiation and factors related to family, school, peers, perceived health, type A behaviour and psychoactive substances use among 16-year-olds. representative sample of students from first grade of upper secondary school (N = 1514; mean age 16.7 years) was randomly selected. In anonymous questionnaire questions from the international HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) questionnaire and TAB scale for Type A behaviour assessment were used. Multivariate logistic regression models were estimated to assess the risk of early sexual initiation in relation to analysed factors. among 16-year-olds 34.9% of boys and 20.6% of girls reported sexual initiation. In this group 37.3% of boys and 12.9% of girls had two or more sexual partners. Many risk factors of early sexual initiation were identified. The highest risk was in boys in the case of frequent drinking of vodka and beer, using amphetamine, truancy and among pupils from basic vocational schools. Among girls the highest risk was connected with frequent truancy, daily smokers, and those who spent a lot of time out of home. Many risk factors were related to peers and psychoactive substance using. adolescents who started their sexual life are a group of high risk of sexual and reproductive health problems and they need medical care, including psychological counselling. The knowledge about risk factors of early sexual debut and monitoring trends in their change should be taken into consideration in planning prevention programmes and school sexual education.

to present results of the study concerning subjective health of adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years in 26 countries members of the European Union (EU) in 2005/06 and changes in perception of health among Polish adolescents between 2002 and 2006. data from the 2005/06 HBSC survey (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study), carried out in 26 EU countries among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds (N = 140,339) were analysed. For Polish adolescents results of two surveys from 2002 and 2006 were compared. The international standard questionnaire was used. Three subjective indicators of health were used: self-rated health, life satisfaction (using 0-10 points Cantril scale) and 8 subjective health complaints (headache, stomach-ache, back-ache, feeling low, irritability or bad temper, feeling nervous, difficulties in getting to sleep, feeling dizzy). subjective indicators of health markedly differ between adolescents in different EU countries. In all countries adolescents report recurrent (every day or more then once a week) somatic and psychological complaints. Multiple complaints (3 or more) experienced 8% of boys and 38% of girls. There are strong gender differences in subjective health. In all countries girls perceived their health worse than boys. In Polish adolescents some tendency of improvement of subjective health indicators was observed between 2002-2006. Existing differences in adolescents' subjective health in EU countries and gender differences are probably determined by many cultural, social and economical factors. These differences create health inequalities and probably will be maintained for a long time.