Public Health Commons^™

Youth Engaging For Success (Yes)—Youth Peer Mentor In-Service Training: Youth Peer Mentor Guide, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

No abstract provided.

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 …

Conceptualizing Youth Participation In Children’S Health Research: Insights From A Youth-Driven Process For Developing A Youth Advisory Council, Mohammad El-Bagdady, Krishna Arunkumar, Drew Bowman, Stephanie Coen, Christina Ergler, Jason Gilliland, Ahad Mahmood, Suraj Paul

Geography & Environment Publications

Given the power asymmetries between adults and young people, youth involvement in research is often at risk of tokenism. While many disciplines have seen a shift from conducting research on youth to conducting research with and for youth, engaging children and teens in research remains fraught with conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. Arnstein’s foundational Ladder of Participation has been adapted in novel ways in youth research, but in this paper, we present a new rendering: a ‘rope ladder.’ This concept came out of our youth-driven planning process to develop a Youth Advisory Council for the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, an …

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 …

Concussion Protocols For Youth Sport In Tennessee, Corinne C. Oliphant

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of School Meal Consumption On School-Related Factors In Elementary School-Aged Children, Megan Reynolds

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perception of student school meal preferences in an elementary school setting. This was a cross-sectional mixed-methods study that is part of a larger study to develop a nutrition education program for elementary school children. Focus groups and surveys were administered to faculty at a charter school in downtown Orlando to gain insight into the types of food offered at school and student response to these food items. All members of the faculty were invited to participate in the study, and seven teachers volunteered to take part in this study. Focus groups …

Substance Abuse And Mental Illness Among Youth In The United States, Emmanuel Xavier Okoro

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the trends showing a reduction in the use and abuse of drugs among American adolescents, the prevalence rates remain high. There is also comorbidity of mental illnesses among the adolescents using drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and nature of the association between the use and abuse of marijuana and alcohol and mental illnesses among the American adolescent population. The noted comorbidities and the hypothesized association between the substance abuse and mental illnesses were explained using the expectancy theory. Using a quantitative research methodology, secondary data from the National Survey on Drug Use and …

Attending To Systemic Racism : Advancing Public Health's Approach To Youth Violence Prevention., Billie Faith Castle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how the field of public health addresses the impact of systemic racism on health and how that informs public health’s approach to youth violence prevention. Beginning with an overview of youth violence, it breaks down the concepts of race and racism and how they are addressed within the science. It also reviews concepts that contribute to risk and protective factors of youth violence. The dissertation is written from a Critical Race Theory approach, argues that the social environment contributes to why youth violence is pervasive in certain neighborhoods, and promotes action from a macro-level approach. Seven chapters …

From Food To Food Justice: Pathways And Narratives Of Young Food Activists In New York City, Amy Kwan

Dissertations and Theses

With a rise in obesity and other non-communicable, diet-related health problems and the persistence of food insecurity among many vulnerable populations, the involvement of young people in the current, burgeoning food-justice movement has the potential to bring forth transformative changes to our food system and thus improve population health. While much is known about the outcomes of providing opportunities for young people to be actively and civically engaged in their communities, there is a lack of research on the pathways, narratives, and experiences that bring young people into food justice activism.

Through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 25 young food activists …

Hiv/Aids Prevention: Educating Future Generations, Carmella Williams

All Student Theses

The purpose of this study was to discover if implementing more educational interventions on HIV/AIDS would lead to lower incidents of HIV/AIDS among youth. A quantitative research design was used to determine the level of knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of high school students in regard to HIV/AIDS. The targeted population were youth ages 14-18 years old, which are generally high school students who are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Participants in this study were students from Human Resources Development Institute’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program at Harper High School in Chicago, Illinois. The researcher administered questionnaires to the students at Harper …

Gender Differences In Concussion Reporting Among High School Athletes, Theresa Miyashita, Eleni Diakogeorgiou, Christina Vandervegt

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Background: An athlete’s lack of concussion knowledge could lead to significant underreporting and injury mismanagement. To provide more effective management strategies of concussions in adolescent athletes, further examination of reporting behaviors is of critical importance. Hypothesis: The hypotheses for this study were as follows: (1) Girls are more likely to report concussion, (2) girls are more likely to report future concussions after an educational intervention, and (3) a difference in rationale for not reporting concussion will be found between sexes. Study Design: Cross-sectional, cohort design. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Survey answers were collected on 454 high school athletes …

Experiences Managing Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Among Parents Of African-American Youth, Sonya T. Strider

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most frequently diagnosed endocrine and metabolic conditions that occur during childhood. This research study utilized a phenomenological study design to examine how the lived experiences of 20 African American (AA) parents of children with T1DM recruited using social media affects their management and control of the disease among AA youth age 5-17 years old. The interview questions were outlined in categories that tested key constructs of the health belief model (HBM) to determine the perceived barriers, seriousness, and susceptibility to maintaining good glycemic control for their children. Data from each interview …

Perspectives Of Young Adults Toward Tobacco Use, Caroline Oluwatosin Omoalako-Adesanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Conditions related to tobacco use constitute the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Approximately 443,000 U.S. adults die each year from smoking-related illnesses. During young adulthood, social and behavioral changes occur; experimentation with tobacco products such as cigarettes is common and may lead to a habit of smoking. A gap was identified in the literature on the perceived impact of family communication on young adults' decisions regarding smoking. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to address this gap by gathering information on the perspectives of young adults toward tobacco use. Fifteen young adults aged …

Ecpat: Development And Testing Of Mobile Technology To Engage Youth In Active Living Policy, Systems, And Environmental Health Promotion Efforts, Gina M. Besenyi

Theses and Dissertations

Modifying the built environment is a promising way to promote youth physical activity and reduce obesity. Parks, in particular, are key intervention venues given their low cost and legislated ubiquity. Creating healthy communities, including better parks, will require the interest and participation of multiple constituencies, including youth. Creation of mobile technology environmental audit tools can provide a more interactive way for youth to engage with communities and facilitate participation in participatory action research (PAR) and health promotion efforts.

The purpose of the first study was to describe the development and validity and reliability testing of an electronic version of the …

The Association Between Online Risk Behaviors And Real Life Sexual Behaviors Among African American Female Adolescents, Nicole Rankine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increased exposure to the sexual content of traditional mass media (i.e., television, magazines, movies, music) affects real life sexual behaviors among adolescents. Engaging in online risk behaviors such as sharing/posting sexual content using social networking sites, cellphones, smartphones, IPads, or other new media devices has become common among adolescents. The purpose of this quantitative, correlation study, based upon the theory of reasoned action and three pre-existing national surveys, was to determine whether significant associations exist between attitudes, intentions, and behaviors related to online risk behaviors and real life sexual behaviors among African American female adolescents in Metro Atlanta. Data …

Youth Assault-Injury Variation Patterns And Their Dimensional Structure, Diana Faissal Wilkerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth assault-injury is 1 of the 5 leading causes of adolescents' death in the United States. Despite public health efforts, the prevalence rates of youth assault-injury and almost all its risk factors have remained consistent in the past 10 years. The purpose in conducting this cross-sectional quantitative study using archival data of the Add Health Wave II in-home survey was to examine the underlying-multidimensional structure of youth assault-injury. Problem behavior theory (PBT) lens and a multidimensional model were used and a structural equation model was conducted to examine the relationships between 22 risk and protection variables, 3 unobserved latent factors, …

Invest In Urban Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health To Achieve A Demographic Dividend In Africa, Joyce Mumah, Jessica Brinton, Carol Mukiira, Caroline W. Kabiru, Chimaraoke O. Izugbara

Reproductive Health

The future of Africa depends on its ability to harness the potential of its young people. Making the right investments in youth—particularly those in urban areas—can enable the region to experience substantial economic growth and sustainable national development for current and future generations. This policy brief reports on a number of recommendations to help African governments and Ministries of Health and Education realize the demographic dividend; incorporate economic empowerment programs into urban programming and budget allocation; integrate training on the provision of quality and effective youth-friendly services for health workers; and revitalize school health programming.

Navigating Life With Hiv: The Lived Experiences Of Youth Living With Hiv, Tamara M M Landry

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Youth and young adults living with HIV, between the ages of 15 and 29 represent one-quarter of the new infection rates in Canada, but little is known about the safer sex practices, HIV disclosure processes and coping mechanisms used by this important but often neglected group to manage the every day realities of living with HIV. The primary objectives of this study were to gather qualitative data about the lived experiences of Canadian youth who are living with HIV and enhance our understanding of their experiences of becoming HIV-positive, navigating issues related to safer sex and HIV disclosure, and managing …

Global School-Based Childhood Obesity Interventions: A Review, Melinda J. Ickes, Jennifer Mcmullen, Taj Haider, Manoj Sharma

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

Background: The issue of childhood overweight and obesity has become a global public health crisis. School-based interventions have been developed and implemented to combat this growing concern. The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast U.S. and international school-based obesity prevention interventions and highlight efficacious strategies.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted utilizing five relevant databases. Inclusion criteria were: (1) primary research; (2) overweight or obesity prevention interventions; (3) school-based; (4) studies published between 1 January 2002 through 31 December 2013; (5) published in the English language; (6) child-based interventions, which could include parents; and …

Growing Up With Hiv In Kisumu, Kenya: Participatory Action Research With Young People Living With Hiv, Zoe Alexis Hobbs Marinkovich

Doctoral Dissertations

Forty-one percent of new HIV infections are in young people between the ages of 15-24 (Masquillier, et al., 2012). In addition to new infections, advances in medications are now making it possible for children born with HIV to survive into adolescence and adulthood (Bland, 2011; Gray, 2010). Due to the growing population of youth living with HIV, there is an increased need for adolescent-appropriate care and intervention. While many studies have examined the role of education in preventing HIV transmission for HIV-negative youth in the Sub-Saharan context, few have focused on the education and experiences of young people living with …

Empowerment-Based Positive Youth Development: A New Understanding Of Healthy Development For African American Youth, Raphael Travis Jr., Tamara Leech

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

A shift occurred in research about adolescents in the general population. Research is moving away from deficits toward a resilience paradigm and understanding trajectories of positive youth development. This shift has been less consistent in research and practice with African American youth. A gap also exists in understanding whether individual youth development dimensions generate potential in other dimensions. This study presents an empowerment-based positive youth development model. It builds upon existing research to present a new vision of healthy development for African American youth that is strengths-based, developmental, culture-bound, and action-oriented. It emphasizes the relationship between person and environment, the …

Environmental Equity Is Child's Play: Mapping Public Provision Of Recreation Opportunities In Urban Neighbourhoods, Jason Gilliland, Martin Holmes, Jennifer Irwin, Patricia Tucker

Trish Tucker

This paper examines the spatial distribution of recreational opportunities for children and youth in a mid-sized Canadian city (London, Ontario), in relation to the socioeconomic status of neighbourhoods and estimated local need for publicly provided recreation spaces. Public recreation facilities (N = 537) throughout the city were identified, mapped and analysed in a geographic information system. To explore potential socio-environmental inequities, neighbourhoods (N = 22) were characterized by socioeconomic and environmental variables, an index of neighbourhood social distress, a neighbourhood play space needs index, and measures of the prevalence and density of recreational opportunities. The results of the spatial analysis …

The Impact Of Co-Active Coaching On Physically Inactive 12 To 14 Year Olds In Ontario, Paul Gorczynski, Don Morrow, Jennifer Irwin

Donald Morrow

This study assessed the impact of life coaching on physical activity participation, self-efficacy, social support, and perceived behavioural control among physically inactive youth between the ages of 12 and 14 years in London, Ontario. The multiple-baseline across participants single case-experimental design study consisted of five 12 to 14 year olds. Six coaching sessions were conducted over two months by a certified professional Co-active coach. Physical activity increased for one participant while the other participants’ physical activity remained unchanged. No significant changes occurred in self-efficacy, social support, and perceived behavioural control with specific regard to becoming more physically active. Results indicted …

Addressing Economic Devastation And Built Environment Degradation To Prevent Violence: A Photovoice Project Of Detroit Youth Passages, Louis Graham, Armando Reyes, William Lopez, Alana Gracey, Rachel Snow, Mark Padilla

Louis Graham

This project increased awareness about issues of violence to youth, their communities, and policy makers through the technique of photovoice and its translation into photo exhibitions and other community events. Youth participants learned photography skills, engaged in critical communal discussions about important issues affecting their health, wrote reflective stories about their photos, and engaged in policy change efforts. Their photos depict the need to address economic devastation and built environment degradation to prevent violence in their communities. Youth presented policy makers and community leaders with an “insider’s perspective” of the issues facing their communities, with the hope of promoting policy …

School Day Segmented Physical Activity Patterns Of High And Low Active Children, Stuart J. Fairclough, Aaron Beighle, Heather Erwin, Nicola D. Ridgers

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Variability exists in children's activity patterns due to the association with environmental, social, demographic, and inter-individual factors. This study described accelerometer assessed physical activity patterns of high and low active children during segmented school week days whilst controlling for potential correlates.

METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three children (mean age: 10.7 ± 0.3 yrs, 55.6% girls, 18.9% overweight/obese) from 8 north-west England primary schools wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers for 7 consecutive days during autumn of 2009. ActiGraph counts were converted to minutes of moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity. Children were classified as high active (HIGH) or …

Evaluating The Mebactive-Youth As A Measure Of Mental Toughness, Manneh Ghazarians

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The obesity epidemic in youth is increasing, due to the decreasing levels of physical activity within the youth population. One variable that has never been examined as a correlate of physical activity is mental toughness. Mental toughness is a psychological trait characterized by determination, resiliency, and perform optimally regardless of the circumstances. In order to evaluate this trait the MeBActive-Youth was developed. The purpose of this study was to first, evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed measure and secondly, to assess the relationship of mental toughness, social support and self-efficacy to physical activity. Participants (N = 106) completed …

The Reproductive Health Of Young People In Egypt, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Noha Roushdy, Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council brief presents results from the Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) on reproductive health (RH). The SYPE results underscore the need for: the assessment of state and civil society initiatives to transmit RH information; a national, comprehensive, age-appropriate reproductive health module to be integrated into the educational program; a national campaign on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections that targets young people of reproductive age; the integration of female circumcision into a broader approach to youth reproductive health and bodily rights; specialized reproductive health services for married adolescent girls; and further research on sexuality and reproductive …

Getting Real With Youth-Friendly Services In Africa: Report Of A Satellite Session At The Xix International Aids Conference, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

Overview of an AIDS 2013 satellite session which aimed to engage young people with and react to the study findings and in the light of the findings, discuss and share their perspectives, experiences and concerns about how responsive existing policies, programs and services are to the HIV prevention and impact mitigation needs of young Africans.

Brief Report: Need For Autonomy And Other Perceived Barriers Relating To Adolescents’ Intentions To Seek Professional Mental Health Care., Coralie J. Wilson, Frank P. Deane

Coralie J Wilson

The current study examined the relationship between belief-based barriers to seeking professional mental health care and help-seeking intentions in a sample of 1037 adolescents. From early adolescence to adulthood, for males and females, the need for autonomy was a strong barrier to seeking professional mental health care. Help-seeking fears were weaker in the older age groups. Having lower perceived need for autonomy and believing that prior mental health care was helpful was significantly associated with higher intentions to seek future professional mental health care. Implications for prevention and overcoming barriers to seeking mental health care are suggested.

Ten Years Of The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project: What Has Happened?, Humphres Evelia, Monica Wanjiru, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi

Reproductive Health

This evaluation by the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project sought to find out whether the adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and HIV/AIDS activities in Kenya had been sustained over a 10-year period when the project was replicated and scaled up to cover seven provinces in the country. The evaluation had three main objectives: 1) to determine the extent to which activities of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (KARHP) have continued at national, provincial, and district levels; 2) to determine whether desired sexual and reproductive health outcomes (knowledge, behavior, and practices) have been sustained among in- and …