Page 15 - nhms2012 Perak

Executive Summary PERAK GSHS 2012

Executive Summary

The 2012 Perak GSHS was conducted from 23 February to 26 April 2012 involving Form 1 to 5 students
from 17 schools throughout Perak. 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 Perak. The survey was
administered using self-administered questionnaire.The response rate at school level was 100%, with
a student’s a respons rate a 87.2% (1,862 of 2,135 students responded).

Key Findings

About 67.9% of ever drinkers had their _rst drink of alcohol before the age of 14 years.The prevalence
of current alcohol use was 10.7% and almost half of them got their alcoholic drink from their own
families. Drunkenness was reported in 6.9% of the students. In relation to dietary behaviour, 9.3% of
the students were at risk of becoming underweight, while 11.3% at risk of becoming obese. In the past
30 days, only 24.4% of the students consumed fruits and vegetables at least _ve times daily and almost
one third of them drank carbonated drinks at least once daily. As for drug use, 98.5% of the students
reported ever used drug in their lifetime.

Overall, 3.1% of the students reported brushing their teeth less than once daily and 77.8% brushed
at least twice daily. Only 52.7% of students reported using `uoridated toothpaste. In the past 30 days,
4.4% never or rarely wash their hands after using the toilet and 14.6% never or rarely used soap when
washing their hands. Suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and attempted suicide were noted among 6.0%,
4.9% and 5.3% of students, respectively.The inability to sleep at night due to worry was noted among
5.1% of the students, while loneliness was found in 8.4% and 3.8% reported having no close friend.
With regards to pertaining to physical activity, 20.6% 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 11.7% of the students, while one third or them claimed had parental or guardian connectedness
and less than half had reported parental or guardian bonding. Truancy was reported in 35.6% of the
students.

This study found that 6.9% of students ever had sex. About 8.8% of the students were current cigarette
smokers. Among those who ever smoked, more than three quarter _rst tried a cigarette before the age
of 14 years. More than 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 24.4% and 25.6% of the students were physically attacked and involved in a physical _ght
respectively, with 31.8% who had serius injury. Having being bullied was reported in 17.3% of the
students, while 8.9% had being physically abused at home.

Recommendations

In cognizance of the _ndings, the following recommendations are made:

i. Further in-depth studies are recommended to be conducted by relevant agencies to identify
factors that may contribute to truancy.
ii. Empowerment of school counsellors with appropriate skills to identify root cause of truancy
and to manage the problem through a multidisciplinary approach.

1