Abstract
The relationship between the willingness to attend school and serum lipid levels was examined in high-school students. A total of 83 students were divided into two groups: the school group (n=48, 13 boys, 35 girls) consisting of students motivated to go to school, and the refuser group (n=35, 18 boys, 17 girls) of those who did not want to attend school. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to body mass index, total cholesterol level, triglycerides level, LDL-cholesterol level and atherogenic index, but the refuser group and lower HDL-cholesterol levels than the school group (p=0.0401). In addition, the refuser group had significantly lower scores on the shortened Zung's self-rating depression scale than the school group (p=0.0077). Furthermore, the students in the refuser group utilized the first-aid health room more often than those in the school group (p=0.0192).
These results suggest that there is a close relationship between the willingness to attend school and HDL-cholesterol level in high school students.
