Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey 2015: teenage lifestyle trends

6 Health

Overall, 84% of pupils thought that their health was good, 13% thought that their health was fair and 2% thought that their health was bad.

There were very few subgroup differences in self-rated health. However, 15 year olds boys and girls were slightly less likely than 13 year olds boys and girls to rate their health as 'good' (Figure 6.1).

Figure 6.1 Self-rated health, by age and gender (2015)

Base: 13 year old boys (6,039), 13 year old girls (6,460), 15 year old boys (5,365), 15 year old girls (5,473)

16% of pupils reported that they had a physical or mental condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more in 2015.

15 year old girls were more likely than the other subgroups to say that they had a long term illness or condition (21% of 15 year old girls, compared with 14% of 15 year old boys and 13 year olds).

Figure 6.2 Whether a pupils had a physical or mental health condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more, by age and gender (2015)

Base: 13 year old boys (6,039), 13 year old girls (6,460), 15 year old boys (5,365), 15 year old girls (5,473)

Among 13 year olds and 15 year olds boys, there has been some small fluctuation in the proportion of pupils with a long term condition of illness between 2006 and 2015 but with no clear pattern. 15 year olds girls followed the same pattern until 2010. However, between 2010 and 2015, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of 15 year olds girls reporting that they had a long lasting physical or mental health condition or illness (from 11% in 2010, to 21% in 2015).

Figure 6.3 Whether a pupils had a physical or mental health condition or illness lasting or expected to last 12 months or more, by age and gender (2015)

Base: all pupils (for full base sizes please see Appendix A)