WHAT FACTORS PREDICT STUDENT SELF-RATED PHYSICAL HEALTH

Data from a randomly selected sample of 840 Ontario students were used to examine factors that affect self-rated physical health. Analyses f ocused on demographics, family structure, family financial situation, child-parent relationship, school achievement, self-esteem, alcohol, t obacco and cannabis use as factors which directly and indirectly influ ence self-rated health. Specifically, higher income, good child-parent relationship, higher interest and achievement in school, high self-es teem, not smoking, and being male were all positively and directly ass ociated with higher self-ratings of health. Family structure was media ted by income, and school achievement and child-parent relationship we re mediated by tobacco use and self-esteem. Our analyses suggest that student perceptions of physical health are affected by demographic, ec onomic, social, psychological and competency factors. (C) 1998 The Ass ociation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.