Public Health Education and Promotion Commons^™

The Impact Of Nutrition On The Mental And Physical Health Of Young Adults, Dareena El-Far

WRIT: Journal of First-Year Writing

Upon close examination by nutritional professionals, concern has arisen regarding the typical contents of a young adult diet. In terms of the rate at which young adults choose to consume nutritionally-dense food items, the rate at which nutrition-deficient junk food items are chosen over the former is significantly higher. Among further examinations of this issue by researchers, it has become evident that the nutritional decisions made by young adults are increasingly associated with several social, commercial, mental, educational, and economic influences. As a consequence of these factors, research has uncovered a connection between the consumption of a poor diet and …

Childhood And Adolescent Obesity: Related Comorbidities And Interventions, Jasmine Wong

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States has steadily risen over the years and has become a public health concern. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. Obese children and adolescents are at risk for poor health and poor quality of life. Furthermore, there are numerous comorbidities associated with childhood and adolescent obesity. While some of the associated diseases are acute, others can become chronic and result in lifelong conditions.

Objective

The purpose of the present thesis is to explore …

The Experiences Of Female Adolescents Who Have Sustained A Concussion Through Sport Participation: A Consideration Of An Occupational Perspective During Recovery, Annalise Michelle Tichenoff

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Adolescence is a time of rapid and tumultuous development in the physical, cognitive and psychosocial domains. Sustaining a concussion during this time period may complicate this development, particularly when symptoms are prolonged. Of particular importance is the study of adolescent females, as this population has been under-evaluated within the literature. This is especially troubling due to the number of concussions that occur among adolescent females, as concussions within this population reportedly occur at twice the frequency of adolescent males. This dissertation presents a qualitative case study investigation that explores the recovery experiences of adolescent female athletes who have sustained a …

Building A Contextually-Relevant Understanding Of Resilience Among African American Youth Exposed To Community Violence., Briana Woods-Jaeger, Emily Siedlik, Amber Adams, Kaitlin Piper, Paige O'Connor, Jannette Berkley-Patton

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Studies consistently demonstrate that African American youth experience disproportionate levels of community violence, which is associated with negative health and well-being outcomes among these youth. The frequency and severity of community violence exposure is a unique challenge for these youth and requires tailored approaches to promote resilience after community violence exposure. However, limited research exists that operationalizes resilience after community violence based on the unique context and lived experience of African American youth. Developing a more contextually relevant understanding of resilience is critical to reducing health inequities experienced by African American youth and promoting their well-being. Five focus groups were …

Myths About Menstrual Personal Hygiene Among Female Adolescents, Tyas Diah Palupi, Terry Y.R. Pristya, Randy Novirsa

Kesmas

Poor personal hygiene during menstruation among adolescents can lead to urinary tract infection, reproductive tract infection, and skin irritation. This studyaimed to determine the relationship between belief in myths and personal hygiene during menstruation. Cross-sectional quantitative study was conductedusing a sample of 119 10th grade female students from Tangerang 13 State Senior High School selected through purposive sampling. Logistic regressionanalysis was used in this study to determine the relationship between myths and personal hygiene after age of menarche, attitude, socioeconomic status,information, and maternal education were controlled. In the bivariate selection, modeling was completed by entering confounding and interaction variablesthen reducing …

Detecting, Preventing, And Treating Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adolescent Arrestees: An Unmet Public Health Need, Christopher Salvatore, Steven Belenko, Richard Dembo, Matthew Rollie, Kristina Childs

Christopher Salvatore

Studies of detained and incarcerated adolescent offenders in the United States indicate that these juveniles have an elevated risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, many more arrestees enter the “front end” of the juvenile justice system that is detained or incarcerated, and research into the STD risk profiles and service needs of this larger group is lacking. An expansion of STD testing (including of asymptomatic youths), prevention, and treatment is needed, as is improved knowledge about gender- and race-specific services. A pilot program in Florida has shown that juvenile justice and public health systems can collaborate to implement STD …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Perspective: Challenges In Use Of Adolescent Anthropometry For Understanding The Burden Of Malnutrition, Alison Tumilowicz, Ty Beal, Lynnette M. Neufeld, Edward A. Frongillo Jr.

Faculty Publications

Improving nutritional status during adolescence is an opportunity to improve the lives of this generation and the next. Estimating the burden of malnutrition at a population level is fundamental to targeting interventions and measuring progress over time, and for adolescents, we usually depend on survey data and the 2007 WHO Growth Reference to do so. There is substantial risk of misguided conclusions regarding adolescent prevalence estimates, however, when underlying methodological limitations of the indicators and reference are not adequately considered. We use national prevalence estimates among girls and young women 10-22 y of age from the 2014 State of Food …

Ethnic Minority Young Adult Perspectives On Health Literacy Readiness For Adulthood, Selwyn A. B. Carrington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health literacy is a social determinant of health and health disparity and low health literacy contributes to poor health outcomes in ethnic minority young adults (EMYAs). There is a gap in the literature regarding the health literacy readiness (HLR) of EMYAs transitioning to adulthood. The overarching research question concerned the perspectives of EMYAs on HLR for the transition to adulthood. A phenomenological study design was used with a theoretical framework that integrated concepts from the socioecological and health belief models. Twelve purposefully selected EMYAs ages 18-22 from a southern U.S. county participated in the study. Data were collected by telephone …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Staff Providing Substance Use Disorder Treatment For Adolescents, Connie Jean Rendleman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is associated with high mortality rates and remains a public health concern in the United States. Although, numerous interventions are offered for adolescents struggling with substance misuse, minimal research is available on the effectiveness of treatments to reduce recidivism. Researching the most effective treatment offered to adolescents is crucial to treatment adherence and recovery. The purpose of this study is to determine the most effective SUD treatment for adolescent patients by exploring the perceptions and experiences of treatment therapists providing treatment. The trans-theoretical model was used with elements of the social cognitive theory as a guide …

Sexual Behaviours Of Adolescents In Creek Town, Cross River State, Nigeria, Kabiru K. Salami, Rowland E. Edet

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Risky sexual behaviors of adolescents in Creek Town have not been fully profiled. This study investigated the sexual behaviors of adolescents and their various dimensions in Creek Town, in Cross River State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional survey design adopted multi-stage sampling procedure to administer a 112-items questionnaire to 422 adolescents, to elicit information on their sexual behaviors and practices. Four focus group discussion sessions were also conducted with in-school and out-of-school adolescents. The mean age of adolescents was 17 years. Majority (65.4%) of the adolescents were sexually active. The mean age at sexual debut was 15 years for both male and …

Is It Who Am I Or Who Do You Think I Am? Identity Development Of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders, Danielle N. Treiber

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to unearth how adolescents with substance use disorders achieve the task of identity formation and the construction of self-concept in the midst of the drug culture and society that exists. It sought to uncover the social constructs designed to ignore and/or remove human complexities and allow an intersectional approach to be brought to a study on this population. Historically, there has been a failure to investigate the underlying social attitudes and behaviors that impact the very delicate and vulnerable process of finding self. Psychosocial and relational adjustment are strongly influenced by the extent to …

Evaluating The Effects Of The Teen Outreach Program On Positive Youth Development Constructs, Rita Debate, Helen Mahony, Ellen Daley, Wei Wang, Stephanie Marhefka, Sarah B. Maness, Markku Malmi, Robert Ziemba, Charlotte Noble, Eric R. Walsh-Buhi

Health Behavior Research

Introduction: The Teen Outreach Program (TOP) is a positive youth development (PYD) program that seeks to reduce the risk of adolescent pregnancy, school dropout, and course failure. As TOP has not been evaluated for its impact on PYD constructs, our purpose was to assess this potential.

Methods: A pair-matched, cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate TOP among youth in 26 high schools was conducted in 2013-2014. Youth (N=3740) were surveyed at baseline and immediately following program completion. A linear mixed effects model compared scores of the Lerner’s Five Cs measure of PYD between treatment and control youth and by race/ethnicity …

Perspectives On Conceptualizing Developmentally Appropriate Sexuality Education, Sara Silverio Marques, Eva Goldfarb, Julianna Deardoff, Norman A. Constantine

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Despite recognition of the importance of a developmentally appropriate approach to sexuality education, there is little direct guidance on how to do this. This study employed in-depth interviews with experienced sexuality educators and developers of sexuality education materials to identify how this concept is understood and applied in the field. Developmentally appropriate sexuality education was conceptualized consistently across interviews to include (a) addressing developmentally relevant topics, (b) adapting content to cognitive development, (c) accommodating developmental diversity, and (d) facilitating the internalization of sexual health messages. However, these views fell short of incorporating the breadth of knowledge offered by adolescent development …

"You're Doing Fine, Right?": Adolescent Siblings Of Substance Abusers, Cynthia E. Clarfield

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There has been a rising interest in addiction medicine and addiction treatment in both the medical and behavioral health science fields. Research suggests having a family member with a substance abuse problem has negative impacts on both physical and mental health (Orford, Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2010a). Despite advances toward understanding the experiences of family members affected by a loved one's addiction, the siblings of substance abusers have been largely excluded from scientific research and literature. As a result, little is known about how siblings experience the impacts of a brother or sister's addiction; even less is known about the …

Web-Based Media Literacy To Prevent Tobacco Use Among High School Students, Jane S. Phelps-Tschang, Elizabeth Miller, Kristen R. Rice, Brian A. Primack

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Facilitator-led smoking media literacy (SML) programs have improved media literacy and reduced intention to smoke. However, these programs face limitations including high costs and barriers to standardization. We examined the efficacy of a Web-based media literacy program in improving smoking media literacy skills among adolescents. Sixty-six 9th grade students participated in a Web-based SML tobacco education program based on health behavior theory. Pre- and post-test assessments demonstrated statistically significant changes in the primary outcome of total SML as well as each of the individual SML items. However, there were inconsistent changes in other theory-based outcomes including attitudes and normative beliefs.

By Word Of Mouth: A Qualitative Approach To Understanding The Integration Of Preventive Dental Health In Primary Care Settings, Joni D. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Childhood and adolescence are sensitive periods in the lifespan when oral and craniofacial appearances can help determine social interactions and lifetime outcomes. In this respect, oral health can be viewed as more than just brushing or flossing for healthy teeth; children’s oral health can influence their social development and behaviors, impact their academic growth, affect their guardian’s responsibility for healthcare cost and create a potential pathway for negative impacts on quality of life. Access to quality oral healthcare is vital for the prevention of unwanted diseases and to avoid the burden of oral health complications. Oral health disparities may not …

Associations Between Family Functioning And Adolescent Health Behaviors, Megan S. Fleming

Senior Honors Projects

Background: The obesity epidemic has been a concern across the globe, affecting about 20% of adolescents in the U.S. Physical activity and nutrition-related behaviors that develop during adolescence carry through into adulthood. Adolescents’ perceptions of how their family functions may be associated with health behaviors, including physical activity and diet.

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between perceived family functioning and adolescent health behaviors among a national sample of adolescents aged 11 to 16 who participated in the 2009-2010 Health Behaviors of School-Aged Children survey.

Methods: Participants reported on demographics and measures of family function, which included …

Perilaku Seks Pranikah Remaja, Komang Yuni Rahyani, Adi Utarini, Siswanto Agus Wilopo, Mohammad Hakimi

Kesmas

Hubungan seksual sebelum nikah pada remaja merupakan masalah yang serius, berhubungan dengan peningkatan penularan penyakit menular seksual, mempunyai pasangan lebih dari satu, dan kehamilan dini. Suatu kerangka kerja model perilaku terintegrasi (Integrated Behavioral Model, IBM) digunakan untuk menilai berbagai faktor prediktor hubungan seksual prematur pada remaja. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengeksplorasi inisiasi hubungan seksual sebelum nikah pada remaja level 10 dan 11 berdasarkan kerangka kerja IBM, meliputi komunikasi tentang seks kelompok peers, orang tua, paparan perilaku pornografi, kepercayaan normatif, agen personal, dan keinginan hubungan seksual. Metode yang digunakan adalah menyertakan 626 responden dalam survei awal. Responden adalah siswa sekolah menengah …

Detecting, Preventing, And Treating Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adolescent Arrestees: An Unmet Public Health Need, Christopher Salvatore, Steven Belenko, Richard Dembo, Matthew Rollie, Kristina Childs

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Studies of detained and incarcerated adolescent offenders in the United States indicate that these juveniles have an elevated risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, many more arrestees enter the “front end” of the juvenile justice system that is detained or incarcerated, and research into the STD risk profiles and service needs of this larger group is lacking. An expansion of STD testing (including of asymptomatic youths), prevention, and treatment is needed, as is improved knowledge about gender- and race-specific services. A pilot program in Florida has shown that juvenile justice and public health systems can collaborate to implement STD …

Area Specific Self-Esteem, Values, And Adolescent Substance Use, Joseph Donnelly, Michael Young, Rebecca Pearson, Tina M. Penhollow, Aida Hernandez

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The use of illicit and licit drugs continues to be a major public health concern. Many prevention and drug education programs address this issue by attempting to enhance self-esteem. The idea is that increased levels of self-esteem will serve as a protective factor in decreasing the motivation and increasing the resistance to use drugs. This study explored the relationship between area specific self-esteem and adolescent substance use. Participants (n = 700) completed a self-report questionnaire which included items measuring the use and expected use of selected substances. Results indicated significant differences in home and school self-esteem scores between users/expected …

Brief Report: Impact Of Classroom Presentations About Health And Help Seeking On Rural Australian Adolescents’ Intentions To Consult Health Care Professionals., Coralie J. Wilson

Frank Deane

Building Bridges-GP-Team (Building Bridges-Team; Wilson et al., 2004c) is a variation of the Building Bridges to General Practice: GPs in Schools program (Building Bridges-GP; Wilson et al., 2004a), which promotes consultation with health care professionals who are local and available for rural and regional adolescent’ consultation. The first major component of Building Bridges-GP-Team involves structured health professional training that provides knowledge in three basic areas: (1) adolescents’ help seeking barriers and ways to address barriers in primary health care; (2) developmental issues relevant to adolescent’ help seeking; and (3) classroom management, presentation strategies, and elementary teaching skills. Training is based …

Brief Report: Impact Of Classroom Presentations About Health And Help Seeking On Rural Australian Adolescents’ Intentions To Consult Health Care Professionals., Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Building Bridges-GP-Team (Building Bridges-Team; Wilson et al., 2004c) is a variation of the Building Bridges to General Practice: GPs in Schools program (Building Bridges-GP; Wilson et al., 2004a), which promotes consultation with health care professionals who are local and available for rural and regional adolescent’ consultation. The first major component of Building Bridges-GP-Team involves structured health professional training that provides knowledge in three basic areas: (1) adolescents’ help seeking barriers and ways to address barriers in primary health care; (2) developmental issues relevant to adolescent’ help seeking; and (3) classroom management, presentation strategies, and elementary teaching skills. Training is based …

Longitudinal Invariance Of The Center For Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale Among Girls And Boys In Middle School, Robert W. Motl, Rod K. Dishman, Amanda Birnbaum, Leslie A. Lytle

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

This study tested the longitudinal factorial invariance of a theoretically consistent, higher-order model for Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scores among adolescent girls and boys in middle school. Data were collected from 2,416 adolescents who completed a survey containing the CES-D in the fall of 1998, spring of 1999, and spring of 2000. The invariance analyses were conducted using LISREL 8.50 with maximum likelihood estimation and the Satorra-Bentler scaled chi-square statistic and standard errors. The higher-order model demonstrated longitudinal, as well as gender, invariance of the overall factor structure and first- and second-order structure coefficients, first-order factor variances, second-order factor …