Public Health Commons^™

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A School-Based Cognitive Behavioral Youth Depression Prevention Program In Improving Life Satisfaction, Roshani Patel, Steven M. Brunwasser, Alissa Hochman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, known as the global burden of disease. Incident cases from 1990 to 2017 have increased by 49.86%. Additionally, rates have been seen to dramatically rise in adolescents aged 18-25 (17%) compared to rates in individuals aged 10-14 (1.1%). This makes it beneficial to have prevention programs for middle school aged children. The Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) is a youth depression prevention program focused on cultivating healthy thinking styles and behavioral coping skills. In our study, we used archival data from a randomized control trial of PRP to evaluate whether the program led …

Unlv Mental Health Initiatives: Unifying Through Innovation And Collaboration, The Lincy Institute, Unlv Practice, Behere Nv, Unlv Department Of Psychology

Lincy Institute Events

Nevada persistently ranks at or near the bottom in the country for overall access to mental health services despite the need (Mental Health America, 2015-2023). UNLV faculty are developing initiatives to change this unacceptable situation. The Lincy Institute, in partnership with UNLV PRACTICE, BeHERE Nevada, and researchers from the Department of Psychology, offered a community forum showcasing three mental health initiatives harnessing faculty collaboration and innovation to drive overdue changes in Nevada’s mental-health landscape. Following the presentations policymakers engaged in open discussion with UNLV presenters and the audience. The three main initiatives showcased in this forum …

A34: Factors To Indicate Overweight For Youth From 5-11-Year-Old: Data Mining Tree Regression Application, Danji Lu, Yuanlong Liu

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Purpose: According to the World Health Organization, obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 in the U.S. (Obesity, n.d.). Considerable research was done to find reasons to deal with obesity. In last 10 year’s obesity related research, the major focuses were metabolic syndrome, physical activity, and eating disorder. In this study, two subsets of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2014 NHANES) were used to test what variables were critical to indicate overweight of youth from 5- to 11-year-old. Dietary subset reflected nutrients obtained from foods, beverages, and water. Physical activity subset based on the Global Physical Activity …

Supporting Oaxacan Youth Mental Health, Academic Achievement, And Cultural Connection, Itahi Arteaga, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga, Rebecca Heymann

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Oaxacan Indigenous youth in the U.S. experience generational, cultural, and social conflicts that impact their participation, performance, and well-being, yet there are no occupation-based programs that address their mental health, academic achievement, and cultural connection In San Diego.

The purpose of the capstone project was to develop a culturally-informed occupational therapy program for Oaxacan indigenous youth that will motivate and provide the skills needed to navigate different cultures while encouraging belonging.

Examining The Experience And Impact Of Teen-To-Teen Crisis Line Work For Youth Volunteers: A Pilot Study, Taylor Kalgren

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

For young people, suicide is a leading cause of death. In addition, suicidal thoughts and behaviors begin during adolescence, and rates are high during this developmental period. Crisis lines are one of the oldest suicide prevention strategies used today. Crisis line work is challenging, and therefore, examining the health and safety of these operators is critical. Teen-to-teen (t2t) crisis lines are a unique resource where adolescent volunteers help their similarity aged peers. The goal of this pilot study was to begin to evaluate the impact of t2t crisis lines for youth volunteers. Twenty youth crisis line volunteers (ages 15-20) were …

Building Sustainable Environmental Activism Programs For Youth, Aminah Habib

Master's Projects and Capstones

As the negative impacts of climate change become more and more common across the United States, many youth are experiencing eco-anxiety or other negative mental health impacts due to the state of the environment. Engaging with activism has been named as a potential mitigator of the negative impacts of climate change among youth, but the relationship between activism and youth well-being is an emerging area of research. To explore this relationship, this scoping review explored and synthesized available literature to inform the next steps. In addition to the community-level and society-level contributions that come from youth activism, there are also …

Experiences Of Covid-19-Related Racism And Impact On Depression Trajectories Among Racially/Ethnically Minoritized Adolescents, Sabrina R. Liu, Elysia Poggi Davis, Anton M. Palma, Hal S. Stern, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

In 2020, racially/ethnically minoritized (REMD) youth faced the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and racism, both significant stressors with potential for adverse mental health effects. The current study tested whether short- and long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic differed between REMD adolescents who did and did not endorse exposure to COVID-19-era-related racism (i.e., racism stemming from conditions created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic).

Methods

A community sample of 100 REMD adolescents enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal study of mental health was assessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 51% girls, mean …

A Constructivist Grounded Theory Analysis Of Seven Medical Provider Perspectives On Major Barriers To Prescribing Buprenorphine To Youth With Opiold Use Disorder In Outpatient Medical Settings: "We Should Be Providing Them With What We Know To Be The Gold Standard Of Care"., Maeve O'Leary Sloan

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study utilized Primary Care Provider (PCP) perspectives to unveil major barriers to prescribing buprenorphine to youth (ages 16-25) with opioid use disorder (OUD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven PCPs recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted and recorded via Zoom video conferencing. Transcripts were generated and analyzed for themes using a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) approach. The CGT of the present study describes four major barriers that limit PCP prescription of buprenorphine to youth: 1) PCPs Feel Overwhelmed, 2) PCPs Feel Ill Equipped to Treat Youth Patients with OUD, 3) PCPs Hold and Observe Stigma toward …

Youth Climate Change Activism: How Activism In Youth Can Be Encouraged To Help Combat Climate Change And Reduce Youth Health Impacts, Lorely M. Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

While the effects of climate change are already affecting populations throughout the world, youth will have to deal with the full array of consequences due to the inaction of people in power and environmental regulation failures. Climate change is an issue that needs to be dealt with urgently due to the disproportionate burden it has on youth and future generations. A scoping literature review was conducted to analyze existing literature on climate change activism among youth throughout the globe. Research, practice, and policy recommendations were made to help address gaps in existing literature such as limited research on youth climate …

Ask Your Doctor About: Prescribing Activism For Eco-Anxiety In Adolescents, Lexi Nutkiewicz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change is an ongoing public health crisis. Efforts to protect future generations' physical and mental health are more urgent than ever. Youth, in particular, are experiencing eco-anxiety, a specific form of anxiety relating to stress or distress caused by environmental changes and one’s knowledge of them due to the climate crisis. This scoping review provides a better understanding of the value of youth climate change activism as a strategy to mitigate eco-anxiety. This review evaluates the current definitions of eco-anxiety, the risk factors for eco-anxiety among adolescents, and considers the benefits and drawbacks of youth activism. To identify relevant …

Public Health Contagion Of White Supremacy: Examining The Pipeline Of Attitudes About Racism And Racial History Education Among High School Students., Trinidad Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are living in compounded states of upheaval. Violence and exemption from it across socioecological levels have shaped how humans survive, thrive, and die. While different violence typologies exist, the U.S., prioritizes interpersonal violence as its primary target of intervention, often through structural means that foster and reinforce interpersonal violence. The omission of structural and cultural agents and outcomes of violence allows perpetrators to infiltrate and reproduce savage, dehumanizing ideologies in perpetuity. Instead of sustaining societal pillars that oppress and destroy, we must fertilize public health research, practice, and sociopolitical activism with pillars that both inform and activate liberatory consciousness …

Examining Youth Conceptualizations Of Water Safety Behaviors Among Participants In A Learn-To-Swim Program, Austin R. Anderson, Kristina R. Anderson, William D. Ramos, Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Drowning represents a leading cause of unintentional deaths among children. Concomitantly, while formal swim instruction often incorporates water safety practices, the efficacy of these messages remains largely unexplored. This qualitative-based study sought to evaluate how youth apply learned water safety concepts when posed with a hypothetical aquatic scenario. Semi-structured interviews, augmented by use of a visual illustration prompt, were conducted with 29 participants of a youth Learn-to-Swim (LTS) program. Interviews assessed participants’ expressed water safety behaviors and were coded based on emergent themes. Findings indicated that most participants were able to identify a “struggling” swimmer in the dramatized illustration. When …

Sociodemographic, Personal, Peer, And Familial Predictors Of E-Cigarette Ever Use In Espad Ireland: A Forward Stepwise Logistic Regression Model, Joan Hanafin, Salome Sunday, Luke Clancy

Articles

Introduction:
E-cigarette ever use has risen significantly in recent years in Ireland, similar to trends elsewhere in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific region. Results from ESPAD Ireland (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) show teenage e-cigarette ever use increased from 18% (2015) to 37% (2019). Given this increase, our aim is to profile e-cigarette ever users and never users in this age group; to examine sociodemographic, personal, peer, and familial factors associated with e-cigarette ever use; and to suggest appropriate measures to reduce use.

Methods:
A nationally representative stratified random sample of 50 ESPAD schools was …

Effectiveness Of Wechat-Group-Based Parental Health Education In Preventing Unintentional Injuries Among Children Aged 0-3: Randomized Controlled Trial In Shanghai, Yuheng Feng, Xueqi Ma, Qi Zhang, Ruo Jiang, Jun Lu, Kaiyue Chen, Huiping Wang, Qinghua Xia, Jicui Zheng, Jingwei Xia, Xiaohong Li

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries to children are a major public health problem. The online social media is a potential way to implement health education for caregivers in online communities. Using WeChat, a free and popular social media service in China, this study evaluated the effectiveness of social online community-based parental health education in preventing unintentional injuries in children aged 0-3.

METHODS: We recruited 365 parents from two community health centers in Shanghai and allocated them into intervention and control groups randomly. Follow-up lasted for one year. The intervention group received and followed their WeChat group and a WeChat official account for …

Peer-Led Building Resilience And Enhancing Social-Emotional Skills Program, Danielle K. Enrico

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of the Capstone experience was to develop and implement a five-week peer-led building resilience and social-emotional skills training program at a public high school. This program addressed high school students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding resources, social-emotional skills, and resilience. A questionnaire was administered pre and post-program to measure effectiveness. The results indicated an increase in scores, demonstrating a clearer understanding in all three areas.

Relative Effectiveness Of Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy With Anxious Or Depressed Young People: Rapid Review And Meta-Analysis, Shikara T. Howes, Kevin M. Gorey, Carly M. Charron

Social Work Publications

Global estimates suggest that 25% and 20% of youth have reported elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to baseline functioning (Racine et al., 2021). Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been found to significantly benefit young people experiencing anxiety and depression (Christ et al., 2020). Pandemic-related protocols have led many mental health services to shift to online platforms. We wondered about the comparative efficacy of online versus offline CBT for young people between the ages of 10-25. We responded with a rapid review and meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trial outcomes. The …

Sexual Health Misinformation And Potential Interventions Among Youth On Social Media, Jahnavi Sunkara

The Cardinal Edge

With the rise of the internet and social media, many adolescents and young adults have turned to the internet and social media for sexual health information. However, this can be problematic because sexual health misinformation on social media utilizes a variety of techniques to quickly disseminate and retain that misinformation in users. Historically, the spread of sexual health misinformation has specifically negatively impacted adolescents and young adults regarding two sexual health topics: contraceptives and HPV vaccination. Current evidence demonstrates that a combination of corrections and inoculation would be effective against general health misinformation. However, there is a lack of research …

Engaging Rural High School Youth In E-Cigarette Prevention And Advocacy, Melinda J. Ickes, Olivia Zidzik, Nathan L. Vanderford

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Introduction: Recent national data reinforce over 3.6 million young people across the United States are currently using e-cigarettes, but little research exists on prevention and/or youth engagement strategies.

Purpose: Pilot a peer led e-cigarette prevention and advocacy training and determine attitudes and self-efficacy among participating rural high school leaders post-training.

Methods: The study incorporated a one-group, post-test design. Participants were recruited from an existing student leadership program (N = 16) which provides advanced cancer education and training to high school students who are from Appalachian Kentucky who participated in an e-cigarette prevention and empowerment training in December 2019. Data …

The Parallel Pandemic: A Systematic Review On The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Eating Disorders And Ocd In Children And Adolescents, Nasong A. Luginaah

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

In January 2021, Covid-19 had already been diagnosed in over 100 million individuals¹. Due to the high degree of infectivity, many countries all over the globe attempted to counter the virus by instituting nation-wide lockdowns. The effects of the lockdowns resulting from the Covid-19 Pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents have drawn a lot of public health attention with many calling for an increased in the understanding of the potential effects the youth of today may have to endure. Two specific mental health illnesses have seemingly worsened are OCD and eating disorders.

Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Development Increased Income For Rural Pennsylvania Families, But Youth Obesity Rates Remained High, Molly A. Martin

Population Health Research Brief Series

A new study finds that despite increased income due to MarcellusShale, childhood obesity in rural PA remain unchanged.

"There Is Always Violence": An Exploratory Study Of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Street-Involved Children, Jarrett D. Davis, Glenn M. Miles, Sean Blackburn, Erika Mosebach-Kornelsen

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As the economic center of Cambodia, Phnom Penh has long been a hotspot for street-involved children and families. While violence is a common facet of life on the street, risk and vulnerability among children is notoriously difficult to measure. Most large-scale surveys tend to sample children within homes and schools, which overlook street-involved children who are commonly unregistered, irregularly attend school, and live outside of houses. This research paper is one of a series of studies on such groups in Southeast Asia. The study conducted 94 semi-structured interviews with street-involved children eight to 18 years of age in Phnom Penh. …

Predicting Young Adults’ Intentions And Involvement In Alcohol-Influenced Aquatic Activity, Hannah L M Calverley, Lauren A. Petrass Ph.D., Jennifer D. Blitvich

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Globally, alcohol consumption is a public health issue and a risk factor for drownings among young adults. While studies have identified a prominence of alcohol in youth drownings, little is known about the factors that influence young adults’ involvement in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. The current study aimed to identify the predictors of young adults’ intention to participate, and past participation, in alcohol-influenced aquatic activity. A reliable and valid survey, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, was distributed to young adults (aged 18-24 years) educated in the UK and Australia. Cumulative odds ordinal logistic regressions with proportional odds were …

The Impact Of Social Media On Teenage Females Self-Esteem, Amanda C. Perkovich

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Social media has become the way we connect with the world. Social networking sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and TikTok, allow users to share intimate details of their lives, upload photographs, initiate and maintain relationships, plan social gatherings, observe the lives of others and express beliefs, values and emotions. In the last ten years, numerous articles have focused on the relationship between social media use and mental health however, very few studies have concentrated on self-esteem, especially in teenage females. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the associations between increased social media activity (greater than 2 …

The Youthful Pandemic, Brook Sahlemariam

Nursing | Senior Theses

This paper attempts to examine the neurological, physical, and societal effects of e-cigarette use among youth and young-adults in North America. Furthermore, the paper investigates the parallels between e-cigarette users, tobacco users, and dual users in regard to behavioral patterns, reasons for use, and age of initiation.

Substance Use Among Rural And Urban Youth And Young Adults, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Nathan Paluso Mph, Erika C. Ziller Phd

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Rural youth and young adults have historically had higher use rates of alcohol and other substances than their urban counterparts. Recent research suggests that rates of youth and young adult alcohol and other substance use have declined over the past two decades, but we have limited knowledge of whether and how current rural and urban substance use patterns may differ. As national substance use rates decline, it is important to re-assess differences in use among rural versus urban youth and young adults. This study uses data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine rural-urban differences …

Message Appeals On An Instagram Account Promoting Seat Belt Use That Attract Adolescents And Young Adults: Elaboration-Likelihood Perspective Study, Ni Zhang, Stacy A. Drake, Kele Ding

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background:
Adolescents and young adults demonstrate the highest rate of unrestrained motor vehicle fatalities, making the promotion of seat belt restraint a priority for public health practitioners. Because social media use among adolescents and young adults has proliferated in recent years, it is critical to explore how to use this tool to promote seat belt use among this population. Social media posts can contain various types of information within each post and this information can be communicated using different modalities.
Objective:
In this study, based on the elaboration likelihood model, we aimed to examine how adolescents and young adults reacted …

Support Clubs For Children And Youth In Haiti Living With Hiv: A Case Study, Susan Settergren, Robert Philippe, Joanne St. Louis, Nathaniel Segaren, Sylvie Boisson, Tessa Lewis, Olbeg Désinor, Kesner François

HIV and AIDS

In Haiti, where an estimated 3,000 children and youth are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), Caris Foundation, with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provides hospital-linked psychosocial support groups, known as Kids Clubs, for young people ages nine and older. The clubs are intended to help ensure that HIV-positive children and adolescents stay in contact with health services, and serve as a conduit for delivery of other services, including health messages and health products. In 2019, Project SOAR conducted a study to describe the Kids Club …

Examining Minority Youth Swimmers’ Versus Non-Swimmers’ Perceptions Of Swimming Involvement, Timothy M. Dasinger, Laura L. Brown, Ashton J. Sawyers

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in youth, especially among minority populations (Gilchrest & Parker, 2014). According to the World Health Organization (2014), every hour of every day approximately 42 people lose their lives to drowning. Additionally, African-Americans are 14 times more likely to drown in a pool than other racial or ethnic group members (Waller & Norwood, 2011). The purpose of this study was to examine survey results between swimming and non-swimming minority youth participants. Forty African American students between the ages of 5-17 from an after-school program completed the Swimming Involvement Survey. Results indicated that …

Covid-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Adolescents And Young People In Bihar And Uttar Pradesh, India: Study Description, Rajib Acharya, Mukta Gundi, Thoai Ngo, Neelanjana Pandey, Sangram Kishor Patel, Jessie Pinchoff, Shilpi Rampal, Niranjan Saggurti, K.G. Santhya, Corinne White, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of COVID-19 in India and to aid the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), the Population Council and other non-governmental organizations are conducting research to assess residents’ ability to follow sanitation and social distancing precautions under a countrywide lockdown. The Population Council COVID-19 study team is implementing rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as needs, among 2,041 young people (ages 19-23 years) and/or an adult household member, sampled from an existing prospective cohort study with a total sample size of 20,574 in Bihar (n=10,433) and …

Impact Of School Tobacco-Free Policy And Tobacco Risk Education On Youth Cigarette And E-Cigarette Use, Vahe Heboyan, Bruce Riggs

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Smoking rates have declined over the last half-century, however, e-cigarette use has more than tripled in the recent years. Tobacco-risk education and tobacco-free policies are critical policy instruments to help prevent youth tobacco use. This study evaluates the impact of these policies on youth cigarette and e-cigarette use.

Methods: Data from the 2013/2015 Georgia Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) is used to test for statistical differences in tobacco use status across school-based tobacco control policies and estimate their impact on cigarette and e-cigarette use. Data includes 5,285 participants representing 2013 middle school (n=2,099), 2013 high school (n=1,775), and 2015 high …