The Global-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) is a survey designed to measure and assess the behavioral risk factors and protective factors among young people aged 13 to 17 years old. The survey aims to obtain data on young people’s health behavior and protective factors related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adults. The result of the survey provides policy makers with insights and tools necessary in creating more responsive health interventions.
The GSHS measured alcohol use, dietary behaviors, drug use, hygiene, mental health, physical activity, protective factors, tobacco use, HIV/AIDS related knowledge, and violence and unintentional injury. The survey was funded by the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health with technical assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC).
20% of high school students consume alcohol before age 14
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About 20% of male high school students and 16.6% females currently drank alcohol prior to the survey.
Figure 1. Percentage of Alcohol Consumption Among Students Aged 13-15 Years,
By Sex, Philippines: 2015
- Male high school students were leading the survey of who ever drank so much alcohol that they were really drunk one or more times during their life with 18.6% while females with 14.4%.
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Male high school students are more likely to drink alcohol with their friends with 61.6% as compared to female students with 57.7%. More female students (61.9%) than males(58.5%) had someone refuse to sell them alcohol because of their age.
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There were more male students who saw a lot of advertisements on alcohol when they watched TV with 37.1% than females with 32.8%. Male students who tried to drink alcohol before the age 14 years also outnumbered (68.9%) the females (64.9%).
Almost 70% of students try alcohol before age 14
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The survey recorded a 67% of total of students who tried alcohol before the age 14 years for the first time in their life.
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There were 16.5% students who ever drank so much that they were really drunk during their life.
Figure 2. Percentage of Alcohol Consumption Among Students Aged 16-17 Years,
By Sex, Philippines: 2015
More males consume alcohol
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The survey recorded that 41.4% of male high school students aged 16-17 years saw a lot of advertisements for alcohol when they watched TV while 34.5% the females had seen thesame.
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Female high school students (53.0%) who tried to buy alcohol were more likely to have someone refuse to sell it to them because of their age than male high school students (49.5%).
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There were more male high school students who drank before the age of 14 years for the first time with 68.9% as compared to female high school students with 64.9%.
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Male students (36.8%) outnumbered those of the female students (26.1%) who were really drunk one or more times during their life. Students who were drunk with their friends led bymale students with 80.1%, while females compared of 67.8%.
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Almost 75% of students get to drink alcohol with their friends.
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There were 29.7% who currently drank alcohol prior to the survey.
Nine out of ten students try to quit smoking
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The survey registered the same percentage among male and female high school students who tried to quit smoking cigarettes with 88.2%.
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There were more male students who reported that people smoked in their presence for one or more days with 53.9%.
Figure 3. Percentage of Tobacco Consumption Among High School Students Aged 13-15 Years
by Sex, Philippines: 2015
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Male students were more likely to report people that smoked in their presence with 53.9% as compared to female students with 47.9%.
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Female students who currently smoked cigarettes prior to the survey consist of 8.6%, which was half of the male students with 15.8%.
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Male students were more likely to consume any tobacco products with 18.4% as compared to 11% of females.
Figure 4. Percentage of Tobacco Consumption Among High School Students Aged 16-17
Years by Sex, Philippines: 2015
Male tobacco users are 3x higher than females
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Male students who used any tobacco products almost tripled their female counterparts at 27.6%.
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Among those students who currently smoked cigarettes prior to the survey, the female tobacco users were only at 8.1% while males recorded high at 25.6%.
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Male students were most likely to experience second-hand smoking at 63% as compared to 51.8% of females.
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Among all students surveyed, 87.9% tried to quit smoking cigarettes.
TECHNICAL NOTES
Tobacco is the plant of the nightshade family which yields tobacco, native to tropical America. It is widely cultivated in warm regions.
Second-hand smoking is smoke inhaled involuntary from tobacco being smoked by others.
