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Video game playing has become a very popular activity among adolescents. Its impact on the mental health and well-being of players is just beginning to be explored. This paper reports on the prevalence of problematic gaming in a representative sample of 2,832 Ontario students in grades 7 to 12. The survey included questions about the school grade, family and school related problems, frequency of video game playing and video game related problems as measured by the Problem Video Game Playing scale (PVP). Most of the students (85%) reported playing video games in the past year and 18.3% reported playing video games daily. Slightly less then 1 in 10 of the students (9.4%) endorsed 5 or more of the PVP items (males 15.1%; females 3.1%). Further research is required to delineate the concept of excessive video game playing, its relation to other addictions, and the impact on adolescents' psychosocial functioning.

Anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) may be more common among adolescents than previously thought, and epidemiological research would benefit from an easily-administered measure of AMD. We assessed the ability of the GHQ12 to estimate the prevalence of AMD in a representative sample of Ontario adolescents. Data were based on self-administered questionnaires from 3,311 students in grades 7 through 12 derived from the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. The GHQ12 showed good ability to identify probable AMD (AUC = 0.80). A threshold value of 5 appeared optimal, and based on this threshold value, the estimated prevalence of AMD in Ontario students in grades 7-12 may be 19%. Observations that individuals with a self-reported history of family disruption, substance use, gambling problems, bullying victimization, and who reported seeking professional help for a mental health problem were significantly more likely to experience probable AMD provided additional validity.

Stigma is a significant barrier to the improvement of the lives of people with schizophrenia. Little is known about the emergence of stigmatizing attitudes developmentally. The purpose of this study was to provide a provincial assessment of adolescent knowledge about schizophrenia and to identify the relationship between adolescent knowledge and social distance toward people with schizophrenia. Data were derived from the 2005 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. In total, 3,117, 7th- to 12th-graders completed self-administered questionnaires that included a measure of schizophrenia knowledge and social distancing. Results indicated that the majority of adolescents had some knowledge about schizophrenia and low social distancing toward people with schizophrenia. Greater knowledge, increasing age, being female, and lower parental education were associated with less distancing attitudes. Educational campaigns to reduce stigma may still be warranted as one component of broader multilevel interventions to overcome mental illness stigma. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: There is strong theoretical and empirical support for school connectedness as an important element of healthy youth development. The primary objective of this study was to replicate previous research identifying factors differentiating youth who do not feel connected to their schools in a sample of adolescents in Ontario, Canada. A secondary objective was to extend this work by assessing whether physical activity was an additional health behavior that differentiated youth who feel connected to their schools from those who do not. Methods: Data for this study were based on questionnaires from 2243 grade 7 to grade 12 students derived from the 2001 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between physical activity, other health risk factors, and school disconnectedness. Results: The odds of feeling disconnected from their schools were substantially greater for female students who perceived their health or academic performance to be poor, engaged in no vigorous physical activity, reported 3 or more physician visits during the past year, and had low extracurricular involvement. None of the sociodemographic factors or substance use measures was significantly associated with school disconnectedness for any students. Conclusions: Our results highlight sex differences in how school disconnectedness is related to health-compromising behaviors such as physical inactivity. Further research is required to examine how boys and girls perceive, interpret, and internalize the school climate. Increasing school connectedness should be a consideration for academic administrators and health-promotion advocates. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Two mail surveys were conducted as a province-wide needs assessment to examine the opportunities for, barriers to, and participation in physical activity in Ontario elementary and secondary schools. Dillman's Tailored Design Method (TDM) was used to maximize the quality of responses and the response rate. Both surveys entailed five mailings to key informants from randomly selected schools. The response rate among the 599 elementary and 600 secondary schools was 85% and 79%, respectively. This article discusses how the TDM strategies (i.e., strategies to establish trust, increase perceived rewards, and decrease perceived costs among key informants) were used to yield high response rates, examines the response rates after each mailing, and shares some lessons learned, which will be useful to researchers who are considering using the TDM in surveys designed to develop and evaluate programs. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Research supports the position that specialists are the preferred providers of physical education in elementary (primary) school settings. We examined whether specialists delivered more physical education lessons and provided greater opportunities for moderate and vigorous physical activity and whether barriers to curricular and extracurricular physical activity opportunities in Ontario elementary schools differed for specialist and nonspecialist teachers. Using a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was mailed to key informants in 599 randomly selected elementary schools in Ontario, yielding an 85% response rate. Most physical education in Ontario elementary schools is delivered by nonspecialists (63%). No self-reported differences were found between specialists and generalist teacher in the number of physical education lessons delivered per week, the minutes per physical education class, or in the amount of reported moderate or vigorous physical activity in lessons. Compared with specialists, respondents in schools in which generalist teacher taught PE perceived lack of training as a greater barrier to delivering physical education. Given the importance of subject knowledge in teaching effectively, there is still need to advocate for specialist physical education teaching in elementary schools. However, concerns about teaching specialism may be secondary to broader and more complex factors surrounding the delivery of physical education in elementary schools.

OBJECTIVE: To examine waterpipe use and its association with demographic factors, tobacco cigarette smoking, ever use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and alcohol use among high school students. METHODS: Data were derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based survey of 7th to 12th grade students. This province-wide survey was based on a stratified two-stage cluster design. Analyses were based on a subsample of 2,873 high school students and included adjustments for the complex sample design. RESULTS: Overall, 12.5% of high school students (grades 9-12) had used a waterpipe in the previous year. Awareness of waterpipes was high -68.4% of students reported that they were aware of waterpipes but had not used one in the past year; 19.1% had never heard of waterpipes or hookah. The percentage of high school students reporting waterpipe use in the past year was similar to reports of tobacco cigarette use (12.5% and 11% respectively). Waterpipe use was highly associated with past-year tobacco cigarette and regular alcohol use as well as ever use of e-cigarettes. In multivariate analyses, males and females had similar odds of waterpipe use, and non-White students and those in higher grades had greater odds of use after controlling for other substance use. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that waterpipe use among high school students should be of some concern and suggest the need for policy measures to address potential risks associated with use. KEY WORDS: Waterpipe smoking; hookah smoking; adolescents; tobacco use OBJECTIF: Examiner l'usage des pipes a eau et ses associations avec les facteurs demographiques, l'usage de la cigarette de tabac, l'usage passe ou present de la cigarette electronique et la consommation d'alcool chez des eleves du secondaire. METHODE: Nos donnees provenaient du Sondage sur la consommation de drogues et la sante des eleves de l'Ontario (2013), une enquete menee en milieu scolaire aupres des eleves de la 7e a la 12e annee. Ce sondage a l'echelle de la province etait planifie selon un echantillonnage en grappe en deux etapes stratifie. Nos analyses etaient fondees sur un sous-echantillon de 2 873 eleves du secondaire et comportaient des ajustements pour tenir compte de la complexite du plan d'echantillonnage. RESULTATS: Globalement, 12,5% des eleves du secondaire (9e a 12e annee) avaient utilise une pipe a eau l'annee precedente. La connaissance des pipes a eau etait elevee : 68,4% des eleves ont dit en connaitre l'existence, mais ne pas s'en etre servis au cours de l'annee precedente; 19,1% n'avaient jamais entendu parler des pipes a eau ou des narguiles. Le pourcentage d'eleves du secondaire ayant declare avoir fait usage de pipes a eau au cours de l'annee precedente etait semblable a celui des eleves ayant declare avoir fait usage de cigarettes de tabac (12,5% et 11% respectivement). L'usage des pipes a eau etait fortement associe a l'usage de cigarettes de tabac au cours de la derniere annee et a la consommation periodique d'alcool, ainsi qu'a l'usage present ou passe de cigarettes electroniques. Dans les analyses multivariees, les garcons et les filles presentaient des probabilites semblables d'avoir fait usage de pipes a eau, et les eleves non blancs et ceux qui etaient plus avances dans leur parcours scolaire etaient plus susceptibles d'en avoir utilise, apres prise en compte de la consommation d'autres substances. CONCLUSION: Ces constatations montrent que l'usage des pipes a eau chez les eleves du secondaire pourrait etre un motif de preoccupation, et qu'il faudrait prendre des mesures pour aborder les risques potentiels associes a cet usage. MOTS CLES: pipe a eau; narguile; adolescent; tabagisme La traduction du resume se trouve a la fin de l'article. Can J Public Health 2015;106(3):e121-e126 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4764, Public health efforts targeting the reduction of tobacco cigarette smoking have generally been successful, cigarette smoking being at a low point among youth. (1) There are increasing concerns, however, that [...]

Study examined data from students reporting driving within one hour of drinking two or more drinks. Three-cluster typology included: Marginals engage in least amount of delinquent behaviors, alcohol use, and drinking-driving; Heavy Drinkers are heaviest drinkers, most frequent drinking-drivers, and have greatest driving exposure; Delinquents exhibit most delinquency, have least driving exposure, and greatest experience of accidents and drinking-driving consequences. (Contains 33 references, 2 tables, and 1 figure.) (ADT)

Data from a randomly selected sample of 840 Ontario students were used to examine factors that affect self-rated physical health. Analyses focused on demographics, family structure, financial situation, child-parent relationship, school achievement, self-esteem, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use as factors which directly and indirectly influence self-rated health. Analyses suggest that student perceptions of physical health are affected by demographic, economic, psychological, and competency factors. (Author/MKA)

Examined the influence of family structure on substance abuse among 2,057 Ontario adolescent students. Focused on influence of various family structures on five substance use and delinquency outcomes. Results showed that the most influential familial interaction factor is the amount of time spent with family. (LSR)

Examined rates of steroid use among Ontario adolescent students. Findings from 3,892 students revealed that 1.1 percent reported using steroids over past year. Steroid users were significantly more likely to use stimulants, caffeine, and relaxants than were nonsteroid users. Demographically, steroid users were significantly more likely to be male and were, on average, older than nonsteroid users. (Author/NB)