Growing Up in the Middle East

The goal of the Middle East HBSC study presented in this book was to examine the needs and experience of Jewish and Arab Israeli youth, as well as Arab youth in the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The study was based on the HBSC (Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children) study that investigates the health and well-being, behaviour and experiences of adolescents around the world from a broad ecological and holistic perspective. The collection and analysis of youth health data help inform and influence appropriate, culturally-relevant policies of health-promotion and health-education as well as intervention strategies both regionally and internationally. HBSC is a cross-national, school-based survey currently encompassing 43 countries in Europe and North America under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Regional Office. It is conducted every four years in order to track multi-year trends. HBSC-ME is a collaborative, cross-cultural study similar to the international HBSC. The project was initiated in 1995 by researchers from Bar-Ilan and Al-Quds universities and the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. Data collection was carried out in 2004, and data analysis and dissemination of findings have continued over the last decade.