Background: Dental caries have a serious impact on general health and well-being; however, there is a lack of relevant data on the development trends of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old children in China. We aim to assess long-term trends of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old children in China and identify the susceptible subgroups based on five consecutive national surveys from 1995 to 2014. Methods: A total of 88 972 subjects were extracted from five consecutive national surveys (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014). Standardized dental examinations were conducted and the oral health status of each subject was recorded. The prevalence of Decayed, Missing and Filled teeth (DMF%), mean Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth score (DMFT) and Caries Filling Ratio (CFR) were used as measurement indicators. Cochran–Armitage trend test was used to evaluate the trends in DMF% and CFR, and multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the trends in DMFT. Results: A V-shaped fluctuating upward trend in DMF% during 1995–2014 was observed (Z = − 13.124, P < 0.001), and the DMF% in 1995–2014 was 21.1%, 15.9%, 16.2%, 21.9% and 24.3%. The trend in DMFT was approximately consistent with DMF% (β = 0.057, P < 0.001), but the downward volatility appeared in 2014. The DMFT in 1995–2014 was 0.38, 0.28, 0.31, 0.66 and 0.54. A continuously fluctuant trend in CFR was observed during past two decades (Z = 1.927, P > 0.05), and the CFR in 1995–2014 was 17.4%, 22.8%, 19.3%, 23.4% and 15.6%. The DMF% and DMFT of rural children had a larger absolute increase than that of urban children during 1995–2014 (DMF%-urban: Z = − 0.242, P > 0.05; DMF%-rural: Z = − 19.036, P < 0.001; DMFT-urban: β = 0.035, P < 0.001, DMFT-rural: β = 0.077, P < 0.001). The DMF% and DMFT in girls were higher than that in boys at each survey year (P < 0.001). CFR of urban children was higher than that of rural children at each survey year (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Over the past 20 years, DMFT and DMF% of 12-year-old children in China presented V-shaped fluctuant upward trends, with a decline trend from 1995 to 2000 and an upward trend from 2000 to 2014. CFR had no significant improvement. The rural children and girls are the more vulnerable groups in the development of dental caries and need to pay priority. Our study supports the continuation of policies to improve children’ oral health.

This study explored factors affecting parents’ intentions to use physical violence (PV) to discipline their children in the future. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) guided selection of variables. A sample of 1337 preschool children’s parents from nine kindergartens located in a county of Henan Province, China were selected by stratified random cluster sampling. Data on parents’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control over PV, intentions to engage in PV to discipline their preschool children in the future, self-reported PV behavior toward their children during the past three months, and demographic characteristics were collected via a paper-based questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined putative predictors of parents’ intentions to use physically violent discipline. Nearly three-quarters of the sample said they definitely will not use violent discipline, while 23.4% either said they would use it, or did not rule it out. Logistic regression analysis showed that parents’ lower level of perceived behavioral control over using violence (OR 4.17; 95% CI: 2.659, 6.551), attitudes that support PV (OR 2.23; 95% CI: 1.555, 3.203), and having been physically violent with their children during the past three months (OR 1.62; 95% CI: 1.032, 2.556) were significantly associated with parents’ tendency either to include, or not exclude, the use of violent discipline. Parents’ subjective norms regarding PV had no significant impact on their intentions (p > 0.05). The influence of TPB constructs varied according to parents’ gender. Intervention programs that aim to reduce violent discipline should focus both on increasing parents’ perceived behavioral control over PV and changing their attitudes toward physically violent practices, especially among mothers and parents who have already used PV to discipline their children.

Background: Binge drinking and smoking among adolescents are serious public concerns. However, very few studies have explored the reinforcement of bullying victimization by such behavior. Our study aimed at examining the individual and combined associations of smoking and bullying victimization with binge drinking among adolescents in Beijing, China.Methods: A total of 33,694 students aged 13–17 years old in Beijing, China were anonymously investigated via the cross-sectional Chinese Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey from April to May 2014. A three-stage stratified sampling was used to select participants. Factors such as sociodemographic variables and indicators of smoking, bullying victimization, and binge drinking were analyzed with multiple logistic regressions, and joint and additive interaction effects were tested.Results: Overall, ever-drinking prevalence was 59.1% (boys: 64.4%; girls: 53.7%). Past 30-day binge drinking was 11.5% (boys: 15.6%; girls: 7.4%) and frequent binge drinking was 2.3% (boys: 3.3%; girls: 1.0%). Past 30-day smoking was 10.7% (boys: 16.4%; girls: 5.0%) and past 30-day bullying victimization was 48.7% (boys: 57.3%; girls: 40.1%). The combined effects of smoking and bullying victimization on occasional binge drinking (OR = 6.49, 95% CI = 5.60–7.52) and frequent binge drinking (OR = 10.32, 95% CI = 7.52–14.14) were significant, and the additive interaction effect was significant for current smoking and bullying victimization on frequent binge drinking (OR = 10.22, 95% CI = 9.43–11.07). The additive interaction effect for current smoking and bullying victimization on frequent binge drinking was significant among boys.Conclusion: Bullying victimization reinforced the association of smoking with frequent binge drinking, especially with findings specific to boys. Programs to prevent smoking or bullying or both may reduce binge drinking among adolescents in China.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore whether the association of lifestyle behaviors with mental well-being differed by sports app use among college students, while also examining differences by sex. Methods: A total of 38,738 Chinese college students aged 19–22 years from a nationally cross-sectional survey in 2019 were included in this study. The Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale was applied to evaluate mental well-being. Clustered lifestyle behaviors were defined as unfavorable (zero to two healthy factors), intermediate (three healthy factors), or favorable (four to five healthy factors). The use of sports apps was classified as dichotomized frequently (sometimes and often) and infrequently (never, rarely, and occasionally). Log-binomial regression was used to investigate the associations. Results: Intermediate (PR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.11–1.18) and unfavorable (PR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.26–1.33) lifestyles were positively associated with low mental well-being. Infrequently using sports apps was associated with low mental well-being (PR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06–1.10). The magnitude of the association between an unfavorable lifestyle and low mental well-being was smaller among girls who frequently used sports apps (PR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.16–1.27) than among those who used them infrequently (PR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.24–1.38). Conclusion: These findings suggest that integrating engagement with digital sports apps into campus health promotion strategies might help support mental well-being, especially for college students with multiple unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.