Abstract:

Health problems and competences. Competence is the ability to solve problems or deal with situations in a given context. Thus, competences can be subdivided into basic elements: know-how (conceptual content), know-how-to-do (procedural content) and know-how-to-be (attitudinal or behavioural content). Health competences involve the ability and determination to solve the problems related to personal and collective health. In this context, in order to develop these competences and manage situations related to health, the knowledge of health problems becomes essential.

Research methodology. To approach the competences acquired by the students passing through compulsory education in Spain, we are developing an extensive project in which they are asked to answers to a questionnaire with open questions in which, among other issues, they are requested to indicate the problems of health that they know referred to seven specific areas: nutrition and physical activity; prevention of addictions; sexual or emotional life; hygiene; mental and emotional health; accidents and the environment. In this paper we offer results on health problems that are known for our students.

A total of 731 students (343 boys and 386 girls) fulfilled the questionnaire. It was completed in the provinces of Valencia (222 replies), Las Palmas-Canary Islands (229), Teruel-Aragón (87), in the Basque Country (98) and in Cuenca-Castilla-La Mancha (95), with representation of rural (43.2 %) and urban areas (56.8%) as well as public (73%) and private schools (27%). The evolution of the knowledge of the concept of health over time and the influence of compulsory education was taken into account by applying the questionnaire to students in their last year of Primary Education (57.3% of the questionnaires) and the last year of compulsory Secondary Education (42.4%).

Health problems known by young students. In a first approximation we can say that in relation to Nutrition, students mentioned obesity and eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia); in the context of Addictions, illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco; in the field of Hygiene, infectious diseases and those associated to poor personal hygiene or inappropriate clothing; when focussing on Mental and Emotional Health, the stated problems were very few, except for the depressions; in the field of Accidents, they mentioned the accidents concerning traffic and violations of road safety rules; in the field of Care for the Environment, they mentioned scarce problems except for those arising from air pollution and water. In general students mention the most frequent topics on health, by quoting only poorly others as sedentary lifestyle, domiciliary accidents, addictions not related to the consumption of substances, wars, poverty, etc.

Keywords:

Spanish, young students, health problems.