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The McMaster Children and Youth University (MCYU) was founded at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, Canada. The MCYU delivers free educational programming to children and youth to empower and prepare youth, especially those at a socioeconomic disadvantage, to aspire to higher education (MCYU, 2022). Parents are invited to attend the lectures alongside their children, making parent involvement a key component of the program (MCYU, 2018; Paquin et al, 2018). Participation in educational activities, such as out-of-school programming, school-run field trips, or extracurriculars have been correlated with improved academic achievement and social adjustment (Holloway & Pimlott-Wilson, 2014; Weininger et al., 2015). However, children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to participate in learning enrichment activities outside of school (Siddiqui et al., 2019). These barriers to participation have often been attributed to lower economic status (Chanfreau, et al., 2016; Farthing, 2014; Holloway & Pimlott-Wilson, 2014; Siddiqui et al., 2019). A grounded theory study was employed addressing the following question: How do socio-ecological factors shape parental decision-making for childhood involvement in the MCYU? Twenty parents who participate in the MCYU were interviewed and asked to complete an accompanying survey. After thorough data collection and analysis, the results indicated that positive educational experiences in the lives of parents shape their approach to their children’s education. Their life experiences have led to an intrinsic and extrinsic desire to learn, and the MCYU is an invaluable tool for parents to instill these values in their children through 1) education, 2) exposure, 3) enjoyment, and 4) engagement. This research may inform an expansion of MCYU type programs across Canada as well as aid the MCYU in reaching members of the community who are unable to benefit from the program. While the MCYU is for kids, the appeal for parents should be emphasized in future iterations. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The McMaster Children and Youth University (MCYU) was founded at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, Canada. The MCYU delivers free educational programming to children and youth to empower and prepare youth, especially those at a socioeconomic disadvantage, to aspire to higher education (MCYU, 2022). Parents are invited to attend the lectures alongside their children, making parent involvement a key component of the program (MCYU, 2018; Paquin et al, 2018). This research addresses the following question: How do socio-ecological factors shape parental decision-making for childhood involvement in the MCYU? The results indicated that positive educational experiences in the lives of parents shape their approach to their children’s education. Their life experiences have led to an intrinsic and extrinsic desire to learn, and the MCYU is an invaluable tool for parents to instill these values in their children through 1) education, 2) exposure, 3) enjoyment, and 4) engagement.

Barn och unga på landsbygden tenderar att bli mer stillasittande än barn som växer upp i staden. Landsbygden besitter särskilda utmaningar som gör det svårt att få barn och unga att öka sina aktivitetsnivåer. I denna studie används intervjuer och dokumentanalys för att undersöka hur Uppsala kommun arbetar med att öka den fysiska aktiviteten bland barn och unga som växer upp på landsbygden. Utifrån den socio-ekologiska modellen skapas en förståelse för hur påverkansfaktorer för fysiska aktivitetsnivåer hänger samman med synen kring hur utmaningarna ska hanteras. Resultatet från studien visar att Uppsala kommun tar itu med utmaningarna på ett holistiskt sätt, med en övergripande syn på hela kommunen. Landsbygdens utmaningar tenderar således att hamna mellan stolarna där ansvaret att hantera dem förs över mellan olika aktörer. / Children and adolescents in rural areas tend to be more sedentary than children who grow up in the city. Rural areas have specific challenges that make it difficult to get children and adolescents to increase their physical activity. In this study, interviews and document analysis are used to investigate how the municipality of Uppsala works to increase physical activity among children and adolescents who grow up in rural areas. Based on the socio-ecological model, an understanding is created of how influencing factors for physical activity levels are connected with the view of how challenges should be handled. The results from the study show that the municipality of Uppsala works with the challenges from a municipal perspective, which creates problems when the countryside has its own challenges. The challenges of the countryside thus tend to fall through the cracks where the responsibility for handling them is shifted between different actors.

Youth tobacco use is a public health concern in the United States (U.S.) with about 2.8 million middle and high school youth reporting current tobacco use in 2023. Healthcare providers (HCPs) can play a crucial role in addressing youth tobacco use through screening and counseling, yet rates of these interventions are suboptimal. Tennessee has a high prevalence of youth tobacco use and not much is known about these interventions in Northeast Tennessee. This study has several objectives: 1) conduct a scoping review of available evidence on screening and counseling for youth tobacco use and identify related gaps; 2) assess youth self-reported rates of HCPs’ screening and counseling for tobacco use among U.S. youth, and identify associated factors; 3) explore HCPs’ experiences and identify barriers and facilitators in implementing screening and counseling interventions for youth tobacco use in Northeast Tennessee; and 4) provide recommendations for policy and practice based on identified gaps. This multi-method study employed 1) a scoping review, adhering to the Johanna Briggs Institute methodology; 2) a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey using logistic regression models; 3) a qualitative study using a blended-inductive coding of semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, and 4) a research brief highlighting the policy and practice implications of study findings. The scoping review analyzed 22 articles and revealed disparities in HCPs’ tobacco screening and counseling interventions. The quantitative study showed tobacco screening and counseling rates of 43.7% and 3 45.6%, respectively. Younger youth (9–12 years) and non-Hispanic (NH) Black, Hispanic, and NH Asian youth were less likely to receive screening and counseling compared to NH White youth. In-depth interviews with 12 primary care providers (PCPs) revealed varying levels of confidence in screening and counseling for tobacco use. PCPs primarily conduct formal screening for older youth (12–18 years), and barriers such as time constraints, lack of confidentiality, and resistance from youth were frequently mentioned. Efforts should be made to improve screening and counseling interventions for youth tobacco use by implementing policies to reduce barriers and increase HCPs’ awareness regarding early intervention for all age groups, races, and ethnicities.

Syftet med följande studie var att undersöka yrkesverksammas upplevelser av möjliga riskfaktorer till mäns våld mot kvinnor i relation till den socio-ekologiska modellen. En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes och fem yrkesverksamma från relevanta organisationer deltog. Teman som identifierades i studien jämfördes med de olika nivåerna från den socio-ekologiska modellen och med tidigare forskning på området. I studien kunde tre av de fyra nivåerna från den socio-ekologiska modellen återfinnas som självständiga teman och den fjärde nivån återfanns som en underliggande faktor i samtliga teman. Resultatet visade även att de yrkesverksamma upplever att det finns personlighetsdrag som karaktäriserar män som utövar våld mot kvinnor men att männen ändå skiljer sig från varandra. Mäns våld mot kvinnor finns i alla samhällsklasser och miljöer vilket gör det svårt att identifiera vilka män som har denna typ av problematik. För att våldet ska minska krävs tidigt förebyggande arbete samt krafttag i hela samhället kring de rådande maskulinitetsnormerna. Vidare behövs mer forskning på hur de män som inte lagförs eller frivilligt söker behandling kan upptäckas samt motiveras till behandling för sin problematik. / The purpose of following study was to examine professional’s experiences of potential risk factors to men's violence against women in relation to the socio ecological model. A qualitative interview study was conducted and five professionals from different organizations participated. Themes identified in the study were compared with different levels from the socio-economic model and with previous research in the field. In the present study, three out of four levels from the socio-ecological model were found as independent themes and the fourth level was found as an underlying factor in all themes. The results also showed that the professionals found personality traits that characterize men who use violence against women, but that the men still differ from each other. Men's violence against women exists in all social classes and environments, which makes it difficult to identify which men that have this type of problem. For the violence to decrease, early preventive work and effort are required throughout society and the current masculinity standards. More research is needed about how men who are not prosecuted or voluntarily seeking treatment can be discovered and motivated to treat their problems.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:27:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Elisana Machado.pdf: 713734 bytes, checksum: 705105d43cf4e0d78678c6af90196474 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-06-17 / In view of various contexts about the child development and about the need to investigate them, this study analysed the data processing of a preventive and interventive project in progress, it was achieved in popular communities, where the instrument data were ?Parent?s Appraisal of Child Early Development?(PACED). It was identified the frequency of the dimension itens ?Life experiences?, ranked like risk and protection factors, in a sample composed of 271 children from 0 to 12 years. The information was colected by trainees from 2000 to 2003, through interviews with parents or responsible who informed about their children. The data found suggest predomination about the protection factor (69.4%) and the risk one (26.4%), it has been more frequent the categories net social and emotional support (89.6%) and permanence, cohesion and familiar stability (73.6%). Categories called engajament in activities and interactions (53.5%) and life stressfull events (29.4%) were less frequents. The results are discussed, emphasizing interdependency between the individual and environment. / Em face da diversidade e adversidade dos contextos de desenvolvimento da crian?a e da necessidade de investig?-los, esse estudo analisou o banco de dados de um projeto preventivo e interventivo em andamento, realizado em comunidades populares de uma cidade do interior do estado de S?o Paulo, onde constavam os dados do instrumento Parent's Appraisal of Child Early Development (PACED). Objetivou-se verificar a freq??ncia dos itens da dimens?o ?Experi?ncias de vida?, categorizados como fatores de risco e de prote??o, em uma amostra composta por 271 crian?as de 0 a 12 anos. As informa??es foram coletadas por estagi?rios no per?odo de 2000 a 2003, mediante entrevistas com pais ou respons?veis que informaram sobre suas crian?as. Os dados sugerem predomin?ncia de fatores de prote??o (69.4%) em rela??o aos de risco (26.4%), tendo sido mais freq?ente a categoria rede de apoio social e afetivo (89.6%), seguida da denominada perman?ncia, coes?o e estabilidade familiar (73.6%). Foi encontrada uma freq??ncia de 53.5% da categoria denominada engajamento em atividades e intera??es entre ambientes e 29.4% da denominada eventos estressores ou traum?ticos de vida . Os resultados s?o discutidos a partir das contribui??es do modelo ecol?gico, enfatizando interdepend?ncia entre a pessoa e o ambiente.

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Currently more than 1 in 3 children aged 2-19 are overweight or obese. This is of major concern because childhood overweight and obesity leads to chronic conditions such as type II diabetes and tracks into adulthood, where more severe adverse health outcomes arise. In this study I used the premise of the social ecological model (SEM) to analyze the common levels that a child is exposed to daily; the intrapersonal level, the interpersonal level, the school level, and the community level to better understand what risk factors are significantly associated with child weight status. Data came from the 2012 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) (n=41,361). Frequencies and confidence intervals were used to describe risk factors at each level. Bivariate analyses were conducted between each risk factor and the outcome variable. Using all risk factors that were significantly associated with overweight and obesity in the bivariate analyses, multinomial logistic regressions were performed for each SEM level. The 4 SEM levels were then analyzed together using stagewise multinomial logistic regression. A significance level cutoff of 0.05 was applied to all analyses. Thirty-three percent of participants were overweight or obese. Child sex, race, age, child physical activity participation, mother’s education and health, the child’s family structure, the child’s participation in extracurricular activities, frequency of family meals at home, safety and engagement in school, the number of amenities and the safety and support within their communities were found to be significantly associated with child weight status. The odds ratios of the covariates in the final stagewise model were similar to those in each individual model. Understanding both the risk factors associated with child overweight and obesity in each individual level and in the complete socio-ecological perspective is important when working toward more effective policy and program creation and the reduction of childhood obesity. Recognizing that all levels of a child's SEM influence his or her likelihood of being overweight or obese can lead to more effective strategies that tackle multiple SEM levels collectively instead of each level independently.

This exploratory research study examines changes in food and foodways (food habits) among Arab migrant families in a small community in Tampa, Florida. It also explores how those families’ children may play a role in the process of change. Within this community, I conducted my research study at a private school, where I recruited families with children between the ages of eight and seventeen. In applying the ecological model of food and nutrition and the developmental niche theoretical framework, this research draws on qualitative methods, including structured interviews with parents; focus group discussion with parents; a food survey; and children’s focus groups that included engaging activities such as vignettes (role playing), free-listing and sorting, and one-day food menus. I used MAXQDA 18 software for qualitative data analysis, and the results show that the main factors aiding in post-migration food and foodways changes are time constraints (lifestyle), ingredients, and availability and accessibility of permissible food (halal). Parent did not mention their children as a main factor; however, they perceive influence of their children. Feeding practices such as rewarding, restriction, forcing, and family meals were emerging themes, and children express their agency around those practices. Children developed their own agency regarding food because of their social and physical environments. Older children perceived their influence on their families’ food and foodways by introducing food items to their own families.

Active school transport (AST; e.g. the use of non-motorized modes such as walking and cycling to travel to/from school) is an inexpensive, accessible and environmentally-friendly source of physical activity (PA). This dissertation addresses two overarching objectives: 1) to measure the relationships of AST with PA and health-related outcomes; and 2) to examine the correlates of AST immediately before and after the transition from primary to secondary school (the “school transition”). First, a systematic review revealed increasing evidence showing that AST is associated with greater daily PA levels, and that cycling to/from school is associated with higher cardiovascular fitness. Cycling for transportation (not only for school trips) was also associated with lower values for total cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio in the nationally-representative 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Moreover, the present dissertation provides preliminary evidence suggesting that AST may help attenuate the decline in PA across the school transition. However, the relationship between AST and body composition indicators remains unclear. With respect to the correlates of AST, distance was the strongest barrier to AST at both time points, but several road safety concerns, and the perception of having too much stuff to carry were also associated with engagement in motorized travel. At follow-up, AST was more common in children whose parents owned less than 2 cars. In contrast, children were more likely to engage in AST if their parents reported that they chose to live in their current neighbourhood so that their children could walk or bike to school. The associations of neighbourhood walkability (as measured with the Walk Score® application) with AST and PA were generally stronger after the school transition. While AST may improve health among children and youth, an ecological approach targeting multiple levels of influence will likely be needed to alleviate current barriers to AST.