Introduction

The previous chapter described the three toxic mechanisms through which secondary schools might harm student health: educational disengagement; lack of school belonging; and fear and anxiety. The identification of these mechanisms was informed by qualitative research, some of it carried out by me and my colleagues in English secondary schools and some by other author researchers around the world. This qualitative research provides rich insights into the lives of young people and their teachers, how young people understand their place in schools and how this is implicated in some of their decisions, including their decisions to become involved in various risk behaviours. These compelling stories allowed us to develop a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which schools might harm some students’ health. However, it would be hard to conclude from these stories alone that English secondary schools have measurable impacts on the health of their students, or whether such effects also occur in other countries. So in this chapter, I examine quantitative, statistical evidence from the UK and beyond to see whether this supports the existence of worrying trends in young people's health, the possibility of school effects on health and the presence of the three toxic mechanisms.

Young people's health and risk behaviours

The first set of quantitative evidence I briefly review is evidence about trends and patterns in young people's health and risk behaviours.