For example, 13 year old boys were active for at least an hour on an average 4.7 days a week (compared with French boys of the same age, who were active 3.7 days a week). Fifteen year olds did even better, with 47.8% meeting physical activity guidelines. But the reverse is true for diet and alcohol consumption. By age 15, for example, one in two young people in England and Wales drink alcohol weekly – the highest regular rate of consumption.

Young people's health in context: health behaviour in school-aged children involved 162,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in 35 countries in Europe and North America. The English section of the study, which took place in 2001/02, was carried out by the Health Development Agency and involved 6,000 participants.

Apart from examining health indicators such as physical activity, diet and tobacco use, the study also covers 'little explored' areas, such as bullying, physical aggression and 'academic confidence'. Over 40% of participants from all countries had suffered injuries requiring medical attention in the previous 12 months. But bullying rates varied substantially. In England, about 40% of Year 7 girls and boys reported being bullied in the last two months, dropping to about 25% by Year 11. Academic confidence increased with age for boys in England, but decreased for girls: by Year 11, 81% of boys felt 'pretty intelligent', compared to 70% of girls.

The young people's social and economic circumstances – including family situations, contact with friends and school experiences –- are also described and provide, 'vital information on health inequalities', says HDA head of research, Antony Morgan.

'The results reveal links between the social environment – for example, home and school life – and the choices young people make that affect their health. The cross-nation results reveal that young people from less affluent families report poorer health than those from more affluent backgrounds. The results from England show that those who perceive their families as less well off than average were almost twice as likely to report "less than good" health and "feeling low each week". They were four times as likely to report being unhappy.' The information, he adds, will inform policy 'and support those responsible for promoting young people's health, such as in schools through the National Healthy School Standard.'