Mental health during adolescence can affect an individual’s long-term quality of life. However, the effects of family and school contexts on students’ mental health have been little explored. This study aims to analyze the relationships between family and school life and feelings of loneliness and trouble sleeping owing to worries in adolescents. The data from this cross-sectional study were obtained from Brazil’s National School Health Survey (PeNSE), which obtained its data through questionnaires. This study’s sample consisted of 102,072 ninth-grade students aged between 11 and 19 years, 52,782 (51.7%) of whom were female, enrolled in public and private schools throughout Brazil. The methodology consisted of an analysis using the Poisson regression model. Regarding the family context, mental health issues were associated with hunger, distant relationships with parents, and family violence. Regarding the school context, feelings of loneliness and trouble sleeping were associated with poor peer relationships, insecurity at school, and schools in more violent areas. This study contributes to the elaboration of public policies aimed at bringing awareness to family members and school bodies that indicators of mental health in adolescents are influenced by the quality of bonds established within these environments.

Adolescence, which is the transition from childhood to adulthood, is marked by emotional sensitivity and inconsistency and may be affected by mental health problems. In order to fill the gap related to the risky behaviors in students in Brazil, our cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the relationship between risky behaviors and indicators of mental health of Brazilian students. We used the data from the National School Health Survey to analyze the relationship between risk behaviors and three symptoms of mental health issues: feeling of being alone, number of close friends, and trouble sleeping due to worries. The sample consisted of 102,072 students in Brazil (48.3% boys and 51.7% girls), aged between 11 to 19 years. The risk behaviors evaluated were substance use, sedentary lifestyle, sexual behavior, and suffering violence and bullying. We have performed a multivariate analysis based on the Poisson regression model, and the measure of effect used was the prevalence ratio (PR) with confidence intervals (CI) of 95%. Our results showed that students with symptoms of mental health issues were involved in risky behaviors, including drug use and unsafe sex. Thus, mental illness outcomes may be associated with risky behaviors, or mental health may be impaired by them. Given these findings, in-school programs focused on improving mental health outcomes should be developed.

Background: Adolescence is the period when postural changes occur, as it is a phase when the body develops and grows. It is also the most appropriate time to evaluate and detect postural problems, and preventive measures may help to avoid these possible changes. However, studies evaluating the postural changes in this age group are lacking. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis changes in the spine of 9th grade students at a state military school in Goiás, Brazil. Methods: A total of 113 students (54 boys and 59 girls) participated in the study. A radiation-free three-dimensional scanning system was used to evaluate the students’ spine. The equipment emits a light on the participants’ back and uses its topography to automatically calculate asymmetries. Results: The prevalence of increased thoracic kyphosis was 14%, increased lumbar lordosis 2% and 72% straightening of the curvature of the lumbar lordosis. Thoracic kyphosis was reported by 9% of male students and 19% of female students. Students of both sexes had increased lumbar lordosis (2%). Females had a higher prevalence of rectified lumbar lordosis (59%) than males (11%). Conclusion: The prevalence of postural changes, especially lumbar lordosis, was very high in the elementary students.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the repeatability and reproducibility of a topographic system for evaluating the spine in students. Methods: Thirty-seven students participated in this study. Participants were positioned with their backs facing the system, in orthostatic posture, with bare backs. The spinous processes of the seventh cervical vertebra (C7) and second sacral vertebra (S2), and the right and left posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) were marked. Each student was evaluated five times, once on the first day and four times on the second day. The following variables were used for evaluation: kyphosis angle, lordosis angle, trunk length, and anterior and lateral perturbations. SPSS 17.0 (IBM, Armont, NY, USA) was used for performing statistical analyses, which included descriptive analysis, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), and one-way ANOVA, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: topographic system showed excellent values, and a positive correlation was observed with reference to the ICC of reproducibility and repeatability for all analyzed variables. Conclusion: These results show that this system can be used to diagnose postural changes, and to estimate thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angles. It can also be used for providing additional information on the positioning of the surface of the back.