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The paper explores gender inequalities between 45 countries across 10 health indicators among adolescents and whether those differences in health correlate with gender inequality in general. Methods: Data from 71,942 students aged 15 years from 45 countries who participated in the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey were analyzed. For this purpose, 10 indicators were selected, representing a broad spectrum of health outcomes. The gender differences in the countries were first presented using odds ratios. Countries with similar risk profiles were grouped together using cluster analyses. For each of the 10 indicators, the correlation with the Gender Inequality Index was examined. Results: The cluster analysis reveals systematic gender inequalities, as the countries can be divided into seven distinct groups with similar gender inequality patterns. For eight of the 10 health indicators, there is a negative correlation with the Gender Inequality Index: the greater the gender equality in a country, the higher the odds that girls feel fat, have low support from families, have low life satisfaction, have multiple health complaints, smoke, drink alcohol, feel school pressure, and are overweight compared with boys. Four indicators show a divergence: the higher the gender equality in a country in general, the larger the differences between boys and girls regarding life satisfaction, school pressure, multiple health complaints, and feeling fat. Conclusions: Countries that are geographically and historically linked are similar in terms of the health risks for boys and girls. The results challenge the assumption that greater gender equality is always associated with greater health equality.

Social media use has increased substantially over the past decades, especially among adolescents. A proportion of adolescents develop a pattern of problematic social media use (PSMU). Predictors of PSMU are insufficiently understood and researched. This study aims to investigate predictors of PSMU in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in Luxembourg. Data from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Luxembourg were used, in which 8687 students aged 11–18 years old participated. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. A range of sociodemographic, social support, well-being and media use predictors were added to the model in four blocks. The predictors in the final model explained 22.3% of the variance in PSMU. The block of sociodemographic predictors explained the lowest proportion of variance in PSMU compared with the other blocks. Age negatively predicted PSMU. Of the predictors related to social support, cyberbullying perpetration was the strongest predictor of PSMU. Perceived stress and psychosomatic complaints positively predicted PSMU. The intensity of electronic media communication and preference for online social interaction were stronger predictors of PSMU than the other predictors in the model. The results indicate that prevention efforts need to consider the diverse range of predictors related to PSMU.

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Issue As suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people, WHO aims to reduce the suicide rate with 10% by 2020 worldwide. In Luxembourg, organization D’Ligue coordinates suicide prevention. Since suicide research has been carried out in the country for a few years only, data on adolescent suicidal ideation is lacking. Therefore, D’Ligue has contacted the Luxembourg team of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, to identify risk factors for suicide behaviour and derive recommendations from them. Description of the problem First, our practice partner wanted us to provide them with basic data on the suicidal ideation of adolescents: How many adolescents are suicidal and what are risk factors? Second, recommendations for practice should be derived from the results. To this end, the HBSC data (2014) of 5262 pupils aged 12-18 were analysed. Results 15.1% of adolescents thought about suicide last year and 7% attempted suicide. Of the 24 risk factors examined, 12 were found to be significant, with three being particularly important: multiple health complaints (OR: 1.3 for each health complaint, p < 0.001, CI: 1.18 - 1.33), lower life satisfaction (OR: 1.3 for the loss of each life satisfaction point, p < 0.001, CI: 1.17 - 1.33) and frequent physical fighting (OR: 2.4, p < 0.001, CI: 1.57 - 3.74). Lessons Risk factors for suicide behaviour known from research have been confirmed for Luxembourg. What is new is that the number of health complaints is the most important risk factor for Luxembourgish adolescents. Therefore, a list of 8 health complaints was validated as a screening tool for suicidal thoughts. In a further step, this tool could be used, for example, by school nurses. The HBSC data can be used to update the national suicide prevention plan. Main messages HBSC data are used to: update the Luxembourgish national plan for suicide prevention.investigate a screening tool for adolescents at risk for suicide.