Factors influencing junior high school student’s health in Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. In Mexico, health was established as a right in 1983. Since then, with the objective of reducing problems, diseases and risk situations that are present in the Mexican population, schools have been the subject of public health policies. As part of these policies, topics of social relevance, including health, were included in the Basic Education curriculum, with the purpose of addressing the problems that students present in this subject and in order to promote a culture of prevention. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence of the degree of compliance and results of the mentioned national policy. Thus, the study aimed to explore the knowledge, practices and context variables that influence the health of junior high school students in Baja California. METHOD. Two instruments were applied to 14.545 third-year junior high school students who were enrolled in the 2014-2015 school year of the five municipalities of Baja California. The first instrument was a health knowledge exam called the Exit Exam for Basic Education in the Area of Health (EXEEBAS for short in Spanish). The second one, a context questionnaire which included a section called You and your health that examined health practices. The analysis technique that was used to determine the factors that influence the students’ health was the modeling of structural equations. RESULTS. The correct diet, eating practices, a healthy and responsible exercise of a sexuality and consumption of substances (health practices) of students in the third year of junior high school, influence their physical health. In addition, these health practices are related to health knowledge and academic factors that students have. DISCUSSION. Given the importance of health practices, it is necessary to reassess training in self-care and encourage self-regulation in order to strengthen the health of Basic Education students with a view of having a healthier population in the future.