Public Health Commons^™

Health Concerns Of Adolescents And Adults With Spina Bifida, Jessica A. Starowicz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Transitional and Lifelong Care (TLC) program is a multidisciplinary clinical service providing comprehensive, coordinated care to adolescents and adults with spina bifida (SB). This study sought to identify the most common health concerns among this population at initial consultation and identify patient factors related to these concerns to ultimately improve health care delivery. A retrospective chart review was performed. Descriptive analyses were completed and associations between concerns and patient factors were determined using Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients. A multiple linear regression was performed to estimate the relationship between patient factors and total number of concerns reported. Ninety-four patient charts …

Breakfast Consumption And Diet Quality Of Teens In Southwestern Ontario, Nicolas Woods

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

BACKGROUND: Breakfast skipping has previously been associated with worse diet quality among adolescents, although research from Canada is relatively sparse. Additionally, many studies do not consider diet quality as a function of calories, which is problematic as skippers tend to consume less energy than consumers.

PURPOSE: This study investigated breakfast skipping habits and Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores among teens in Southwestern Ontario.

METHODS: Cross-sectional, baseline data were used from the SmartAPPetite project, which is currently ongoing. 24-hour dietary recalls and sociodemographic information were obtained from participants and parents (n=512).

RESULTS: Breakfast skippers had significantly lower diet quality, even when calories …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Smartphone Nutrition Intervention For Adolescents, Sarah A. Cappuccitti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A diet high in fruit and vegetables is associated with the prevention of many chronic diseases; however, only one in ten Canadian students in grades 6 to 12 consume the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Using smartphones to deliver nutrition interventions is an emerging area of research, although to-date these interventions typically limit their focus to weight loss. The overarching purpose of this research is to redevelop and evaluate an existing smartphone application for an adolescent population. This thesis used a mixed-methods approach to gain adolescent perspectives on how to redevelop the app and to evaluate its use …

Transition From Paediatric To Adult Healthcare: Readiness And Experiences Of Canadian Adolescents And Young Adults Diagnosed With Epilepsy In Childhood, Alison S.B. Dasiewicz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Documenting the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare is important to guide the delivery of developmentally appropriate healthcare. The objectives of this research were to quantify the transition readiness of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with epilepsy in childhood, explore its association with individual and familial factors, and describe transfer/transition experiences for AYAs and parents. Families and physicians were followed for ten years as part of the Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study and provided report using questionnaires.

The distribution of transition readiness indicates much room for improvement. Age was the only factor significantly associated with …

From Their Perspective: How Adolescents And Young Adults Experience And Conceptualize Life And Occupation Surrounding Parental Divorce Or Separation, Laura R. Hartman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parental divorce affects adolescents’ emotions, routines, habits, occupations and relationships. The current body of research indicates that parental divorce leads to many unfavourable social, behavioural, and mental health outcomes for adolescents. This dissertation explores the daily lives and occupations of adolescents and young adults surrounding the transition of a parental divorce or marital separation.

This thesis contains four manuscripts in addition to the introductory and final reflection chapters. The first manuscript explores the current North American literature relating to adolescent life surrounding a parental divorce or marital separation, ranging form 1998 to 2014. The second manuscript provides an overview of …

Weight Status Underestimation Among Canadian Adolescents: An Important And Frequently Overlooked Aspect Of The Childhood Obesity Epidemic, Mary Ellen Kuenzig

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: Overweight adolescents frequently fail to recognize that they are overweight. This project examines the magnitude of weight status underestimation among overweight adolescents and identifies predictors of this underestimation.

Methods: Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2001-2010) were used. Overweight adolescents (N=11,452) reporting they were underweight or about right were classified as underestimating their weight. The time trend in underestimation and effects of individual-level characteristics on underestimation were examined using logistic regression. Multilevel analysis examined the effect of weight status of community-based reference groups.

Results: For every 5 overweight male adolescents, 3 underestimated their weight; 2 of 5 overweight …