Weather preference and perceived weather effects among Chinese adolescents

Abstract

© 2016, Medcom Limited. All rights reserved. Purpose: To assess subjective weather preferences among adolescents and the perceived effects of different weather conditions on mood. Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire survey on 3,580 adolescents in Hong Kong. Findings: The periods from early autumn to mid-winter were the most popular seasons among the adolescents. A significantly higher proportion of male and younger adolescents preferred poor/unstable weather conditions, whereas a significantly higher proportion of female and adolescents with older age disliked such weather. Exploratory factor analysis has identified three major areas of impact: 1) work, study and activity; 2) mood; and 3) interpersonal relationships. More respondents believed that the first two areas were adversely affected by the weather than the third area. Moreover, “negative” and “conventional” respondents tended to report more adverse impacts than “positive” and “adventurous” respondents. Gender and age effects were also found on both weather preference and perceived effects on mood. It is plausible that adolescents had engendered views on weather preference and perceived impact, but female respondents did not report a significantly more emotional impact. Conclusions: The results could contribute to a more focused study in the future and may provide some insight on program design that promotes emotional wellness among adolescents.