Dear Marijan,

We are very much interested to conduct these research in Georgia.  If you will able to secure funds outsides the BCA, we can start working on this.

Dear Sopo,

Below is short information on HBSC survey and in the attachment you can find the results of the pilot survey for Georgia. The report is very basic and there are no comparisons.

The latest full international report is available at: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/Life-stages/child-and-adolescent-health/health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-hbsc/growing-up-unequal.-hbsc-2016-study-20132014-survey

Behaviours established during adolescence can continue into adulthood, affecting issues such as mental health, the development of health complaints, tobacco use, diet, physical activity levels, and alcohol use. HBSC focuses on understanding young people's health in their social context – where they live, at school, with family and friends. Researchers in the HBSC network are interested in understanding how these factors, individually and together, influence young people's health as they move from childhood into young adulthood.

The international standard questionnaire produced for every survey cycle enables the collection of common data across all participating countries and thus enables the quantification of patterns of key health behaviours, health indicators and contextual variables. These data allow cross-national comparisons to be made and, with successive surveys, trend data is gathered and may be examined at both the national and cross-national level. A collaboration between an international alliance of researchers and supported by National authorities that collects cross-national data on school students every four years on 11-, 13- and 15-year old boys’ and girls’ health and well-being, social environments and health behaviours. These years mark a period of increased autonomy that can influence how their health and health-related behaviors develop.

The survey is only done periodically (every 4 years), and if Georgia doesn’t start the survey in 2018, it will have to wat for several years to be able to participate in the next round.

I am trying to secure funds outside the BCA, but I need your clearance, so I am not pushing for something that Georgia is not interested t do.

Thank you and best regards,

Marijan Ivanusa

WHO Representative

Head of WHO Country Office Georgia

Office location: 81 Vasil Barnov Street, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia

Mailing address: UN House, 9 Rapiel Eristavi Street, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia

Mobile 1: +995 599 305 207

Mobile 2/EU/private: +386 40 528 639

Email: ivanusam@who.int

Skype: who-ivanusam

GPN: 74211

Web: www.euro.who.int