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Bullying And Adolescent Obesity In Vermont High School Students, Lauren Blum, Marlene Colon, Matthew Gilwee, Madeline Leopold, Eva Orr, Thomas Delaney

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objectives. To examine the association between bullying and obesity in Vermont high school students and to provide new insights on effective approaches for mitigating risk of both variables in the public health, healthcare, and teaching professions across Vermont.

Methods. Data came from the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (VYRBS) (n = 18,612). We analyzed the relationship between days bullied and obesity, controlling for the confounding effects of risky behaviors. We identified situations that led to increases in both primary predictor variables.

Results. Statistical analysis yielded a significant positive association between days bullied and obesity. Students bullied for 1 – …

Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, And Risk Behaviors In The 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Alexandrea Eckenrod, Alexandra Ivanciu, Emily Fleming, Avery Rasumussen, Kelsey Gleason

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Abstract

Title: Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, and Risk Behaviors in the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Objective

To examine the association between self-reported sexual identity, gender identity, and sexual risk behaviors in the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

Methods

We built a multivariate binomial logistic regression models to assess the relationship among sexual identity, gender identity, and Sexual Risk Index (SRI), a novel binary summary score (low vs. high risk) of endorsed YRBS items related to sexual risk behaviors. The regression models included potential confounders and demographic variables of interest found to be statistically significant through univariate …

The Effects Of Substance Use And Depressive Symptoms On High-Risk Sexual Behaviors In Sexually Active Vermont Adolescents, Ashley Greenfield, Kelly Clements, Lexy Doria, Jenna Cebelius, Rajan Chawla, Michelle Shepard

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Background: There is a high prevalence of substance use, depressive symptoms, and high-risk sexual behaviors (HRSB) among adolescents, but the relationships between these variables is less clear. Objective: To identify associations between these behaviors and outcomes, this study aims to address how depressive symptoms paired with substance use impacts HRSB in adolescents. Methods: Adolescent self-reported depressive and suicidal symptoms, substance use, and HRSB were obtained from the 2015 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) (n= 17,041). The associations between exposures (substance use and depressive symptoms) with HRSB were studied. Variables were calculated using prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) …

Association Between Sexual Assault And Sexual Minority As Risk Factors For Suicidality Among Vermont Youth, Katherine Mariani, Heidi Gortakowski, Thomas Delaney

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Purpose: Sexual assault and sexual minority are known risk factors for suicidality in adolescents. This study identifies the association between sexual assault and sexual orientation in order to better predict and direct resources to teens at high-risk for suicide.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study utilizing the Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from 2015. Logistic regression was used to correlate risk based on sexual assault and sexual orientation.

Results: 34.9% who were sexually assaulted attempted suicide compared to 4.0% of students who were not assaulted. 21.3% of LGB or unsure students attempted compared to 3.9% of straight youth. …