Comparative Health Behaviour of Young People with Disabilities in Hungary: A Cross-Sectional Study
Agota Barabas,
Attila C. Nagy,
Viktoria Pazmany,
Anita K. Grestyak Molnarne,
Agnes Nemeth,
György Jona,
Agnes Santha,
Peter Takacs,
Emil Toldy-Schedel,
Renata Javorne Erdei
Affiliations
Agota Barabas
Department of Health Methodology and Prevention, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Attila C. Nagy
Department of Health Informatics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Viktoria Pazmany
Department of Health Methodology and Prevention, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Anita K. Grestyak Molnarne
Department of Health Methodology and Prevention, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Agnes Nemeth
Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1053 Budapest, Hungary
György Jona
Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Health, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Agnes Santha
Department of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, 540485 Targu Mures, Romania
Peter Takacs
Department of Health Informatics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
Emil Toldy-Schedel
St. Francis Hospital of Budapest, 1021 Budapest, Hungary
Renata Javorne Erdei
Department of Health Methodology and Prevention, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
The health status of Hungary’s population is unfavorable, with significant differences in health indicators not only compared to the EU15 but also to the Visegrad countries. Unfavorable health indicators can be disproportionate and particularly affect vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities. In this study, we set out to compare the health behavior of disabled youth and youth with typical development in Hungary. We also aimed to compare the health behavior of adolescents in the Visegrad countries. The eating habits of both groups of young people we examined are unfavorable. Adolescents with disabilities experience a significantly higher rate of school stress than children with typical development in Hungary. The prevalence of somatic complaints and parameters of poor mental well-being are significantly higher in Hungary than in the other Visegrad countries. The results indicate that additional interventions are needed in Hungary and that differentiated, professional health promotion is needed for young people with disabilities. The researchers recommend extending the study to disabled adolescents living in Visegrad countries, on the basis of which an injury-specific health promotion methodology could be developed with international interprofessional cooperation.
