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Executive Summary KEDAH GSHS 2012

Executive Summary

The 2012 Kedah GSHS was conducted from 23 February to 26 April 2012 involving Form 1 to 5
students from 17 schools throughout Kedah. The survey used a two-stage cluster sampling design.
The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of health-related behaviours, risky
behaviours and protective factors among secondary school students in Kedah. The survey was
administered using a self-administered questionnaire. The response rate at school level was 100%,
with a students’response rate a 93.2% (1,812 of 1,944 students responded).

Key Findings

About 69.3% of ever drinkers had their ^rst drink of alcohol before the age of 14 years.The prevalence
of current alcohol use was 5.2% and almost half of them got their alcoholic drink from their own
families. Drunkenness was reported in 2.6% of the students. In relation to dietary behaviour, 8.3% of
the students were at risk of becoming underweight, while 11.1% students were at risk of becoming
obese. In the past 30 days, only 28.8% of the students consumed fruits and vegetables at least ^ve
times daily and one ^fth drank carbonated drinks at least once daily. As for drug use, 99.3% of the
students reported that they never use drugs with only 11 students reported ever used drug.

Overall, 2.0% of the students reported brushing their teeth less than once daily and 89.1% brushed
at least twice daily. Only 57.2% of students reported using _uoridated toothpaste. In the past 30 days,
4.6% never or rarely wash their hands after using the toilet and 11.9% never or rarely used soap when
washing their hands. Suicidal ideation, suicide plan and attempted suicide were noted among 6.5%,
5.1%, and 5.4% of the students respectively. With regards to physical activity, 25.2% of the students
were found to be active in the past seven days, while almost half were engaged in sedentary activities.
Parental or guardian supervision was reported in 19.0% of the students, while one third of them
claimed had parental or guardian connectedness and almost half had reported parental or guardian
bonding. Truancy was reported in 27.5% of the students.

This study found that 5.8% of students ever had sex, with half of them had sex for the ^rst time before
the age of 14 years. About 8.9% of the students were current cigarette smokers. Among those who
ever smoked, almost three quaters ^rst tried a cigarette before the age of 14 years. One third of the
students reported of both exposure to secondhand smoke from people smoking in their presence,
and parents or guardians who used any form of tobacco.

Notably, 25.0% and 25.4% of the students were physically attacked and involved in a physical ^ght
respectively, with 34.6% who had serious injury. Having been bullied was reported in 15.6% of the
students, while 7.9% had been physically abused at home.

Recommendations

Taking into cognizance the ^ndings of this study, the following recommendations are made;

i. Use of creative and innovative approaches such as engaging social media to promote healthy
life styles particularly on increasing physical activity and consumption of a balanced diet, need
to be explored.
ii. Further in-depth comparative studies are recommended to be conducted by relevant agencies
to identify factors that could possibly have contributed to the more positive ^ndings in this
study. This will enable other states to adopt the relevant approaches towards more holistic
health outcomes among the students.

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