Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4)
Editorial. Three decades of change in adolescent health and lifestyle in Czechia: insights from the HBSC study 1994–2022
Michal Kalman, Petr Baďura
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):235-237 
Trends in adolescent cigarette smoking in Czechia: findings from the HBSC study 2014–2022
Ladislav Kážmér, Ondřej Šíba, Michal Kalman, Ladislav Csémy
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):238-246 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8831
Objectives: Regular monitoring of health-related behaviours among vulnerable populations is of public health importance. This study examines recent trends in adolescent cigarette smoking in Czechia following the marked changes reported in the mid-2010s. Methods: Data from three recent rounds of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in Czechia in 2014, 2018 and 2022 were analysed. Temporal trends were assessed for two indicators of adolescent cigarette use: lifetime cigarette use and cigarette use in the last 30 days. Survey-adjusted binary logistic regression models were used to test changes between survey periods. In...
Trends in alcohol use among Czech adolescents: findings from the HBSC study 2014–2022
Ladislav Csémy, Petr Baďura, Ladislav Kážmér
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):247-252 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8822
Objectives: The present study aims to examine trends in adolescent alcohol use over the period from 2014 to 2022. Methods: Data from the last three Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys conducted in 2014, 2018 and 2022 were used for this study. Three measures of adolescent alcohol use have been chosen for analyses: lifetime alcohol use, last 30 days alcohol use, and repeated lifetime drunkenness. The analyses comprised calculation of period-specific prevalence estimates and testing of the significance of between-period changes using survey-adjusted logistic regression models. Results: Comparing prevalence rates between the periods,...
Trends in sexual initiation and contraception use among Czech adolescents between 2002–2022
Anna Ševčíková, Vít Suchý, Peter Kolarčik, Lukas Blinka
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):253-259 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8664
Objectives: This study examined trends in sexual behaviour and the timing of sexual initiation among 15-year-old adolescents in Czechia between 2002 and 2022, with a focus on the age of sexual debut (15 and older; early at 14; very early at 13 or younger). It also investigated trends in condom and hormonal contraceptive use at most recent intercourse. Methods: Data were drawn from six nationally representative waves of the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, which was conducted between 2002 and 2022. Only 15-year-olds were included (N = 19,384). Descriptive trend analyses were conducted using survey weights, with subgroup comparisons...
Overweight, obesity, and body weight perception among Czech adolescents: a two-decade analysis, HBSC study 2002–2022
Jaroslava Voráčová, Dagmar Sigmundová, Erik Sigmund, Michal Kalman, Zsofia Pusztai
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):260-266 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8691
Objectives: Excess body weight and weight misperception in adolescents are associated with various physical and mental health risks. This study analysed trends in overweight, obesity, body image, and body weight perception among Czech adolescents between 2002 and 2022, considering gender, age and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Data were retrieved from the questionnaire of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 (N = 52,363; 49.9% girls). The difference test between two proportions was used to assess time trends in weight status (WS), body image and body weight perception across...
Active school transport among Czech adolescents declined between 2006 and 2022: HBSC study findings
Michal Vorlíček, Dagmar Sigmundová, Petr Baďura, Jan Dygrýn, Dorota Kleszczewska, Erik Sigmund
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):267-272 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8713
Objectives: Active school transport (AST), such as walking or cycling to and from school, represents an important source of daily physical activity for adolescents. In recent decades, however, many high-income countries have reported a steady decline in AST. The main objective of this study was to describe long-term trends in active travel to and from school among Czech adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years, using nationally representative data collected in five waves of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study between 2006 and 2022. Methods: The analysis is based on a total sample of 50,813 adolescents (25,628 boys, 25,085 girls) aged...
Trends in sleep patterns among Czech adolescents and their current correlates of late bedtimes and social jet lag: HBSC study 2014–2022
Erik Sigmund, Dagmar Sigmundová, Jaroslava Voráčová, Jana Fürstová, Michal Kalman, Inese Gobiņa, Petr Baďura
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):273-278 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8749
Objectives: Sleep is vital for maintaining the health and wellbeing of people of all ages. However, for adolescents, sufficient sleep of adequate duration and quality is critical for profound mental, physical, social, and emotional development. This study aimed to describe trends in sleep duration and late bedtime during school and non-school days in representative cohorts of 11-, 13-, and 15-year-old adolescents from Czechia from 2014 to 2022, and to examine the current associations between late bedtimes/social jet lag and wellbeing indicators among adolescents in 2022. Methods: The analysed sample of 42,101 adolescents aged 10.5-16.5 years was drawn...
Changes in social media use patterns among Czech adolescents: HBSC study 2018–2022
Meyran Boniel-Nissim, Regina J. J. M. van den Eijnden, Petr Baďura
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):279-284 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8698
Objectives: Previous studies have identified four distinct patterns of adolescent social media use (SMU): non-active users abstain from social media or engage in online interactions only once a week or less; active users connect with others online daily without any functional impairments related to their SMU; intense users frequently engage with others online but do not meet criteria for problematic use; problematic users report six or more addiction-like symptoms. The following study aimed to assess the prevalence of these SMU patterns among Czech adolescent, examine changes between 2018 (pre-COVID-19) and 2022, and explore age and gender differences...
Trends in the perception of school climate in the Czech Republic: HBSC study 1994–2022
Jan Sandora, Petr Baďura, Irene García-Moya, Robert Brnka, Peter Tavel, Zdeněk Meier, Michal Kalman, Gabriel Gulis
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):285-291 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8692
Objective: This study aimed to examine long-term trends in Czech adolescents' perceptions of school climate between 1994 and 2022, focusing on school satisfaction, perceived school pressure, and perceived social support from classmates and teachers. Methods: Data were drawn from eight cycles of the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, encompassing responses from 63,252 students aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess temporal trends and associations between school climate indicators and demographic variables, including gender, age, and family affluence. Results: Compared to 2022,...
Trends in medically attended injuries among Czech adolescents between 2002 and 2022
Peter Bakalár, Dagmar Sigmundová, Erik Sigmund
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):292-297 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8699
Objectives: Adolescence is widely recognized as a critical developmental period marked by increased independence and risk-taking behaviours, which often result in medically attended injuries. The aim of the study is to present the trends analyses of self-reported HBSC data on medically attended injuries in Czech adolescents between the years 2002 and 2022 and complement other sources of injuries data in Czech adolescents. Additional objective is to outline the possible use of the above-mentioned data for research purposes by public health professionals and researchers so they can be used for injury prevention purposes. Methods: The overall sample of...
Planetary-health literacy and mental wellbeing in Czech adolescents: insights from the HBSC survey 2022
Eliška Selinger, Michal Kalman, Petr Baďura, Jana Fürstová
Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):298-304 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8798
Objectives: Planetary-health literacy (PHL), the knowledge, motivation and social support required to safeguard both human and environmental health, may help adolescents cope with climate-related distress and adopt sustainable behaviours. Evidence on the linkage between PHL and mental health from Central and Eastern Europe is lacking. The aim of the study was to describe PHL in Czech adolescents by sex, grade and family affluence, examine its association with mental-health indicators, and explore links with selected environment-relevant behaviours. Methods: Cross-sectional data were drawn from the nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged...