Surveillance data from 105 countries indicates that 80% of 13-15 year-olds do not meet the public health guideline of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. This is problematic as a lack of physical activity in young people is associated with physical, mental, and social health problems. Schools are a place where children and adolescents spend a large amount of their time and where they have several opportunities to engage in physical activity. The built and social environment of the school can influence the physical activity levels of students. The school built environment consists of the facilities that can encourage physical activity such as gymnasia, fields, and fitness rooms. This thesis looked at two aspects of the social environment: 1) school policies, programs, and practices (PPP) for physical activity, and 2) school social capital. School PPP includes things like having intramural sports. School social capital is based on the relationships formed at school. The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether selected features of the school social environment (social capital, school PPP for physical activity) changes the relationship between the school built environment and physical activity among 11-15 year-old Canadians. Information on the school social environment, school built environment and school time physical activity was gathered using a national representative survey called the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey (HBSC). The HBSC consists of a survey completed by grade 6-10 students in their classroom and a second 10 minute long survey completed by the principal of the participating schools. Results of this thesis indicate that the school built environment and school social capital were positively associated with school time MVPA, while school PPP had a slight negative association. School PPP altered the relationship between the built environment and physical activity. Specifically, the strongest positive association was between the built environment and MVPA levels in schools with few school PPP. However, school social capital did not alter the relationship between the built environment and MVPA. The results of this thesis can be useful in creating new school physical activity interventions. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-04 16:14:53.564

Teenage pregnancy is both a social and a public health problem in the United States, with approximately 750,000 young women between the ages of 15 and 19 becoming pregnant each year. In addition, teen pregnancy is more prevalent in the African American (15%) and Hispanic (14%) communities than it is in White communities (5%). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors contributing to teen pregnancy among racially diverse teenagers 15 to 19 years of age living in the rural south. This study, guided by social cognitive theory, used a quantitative, cross-sectional research design to determine whether living environment, educational resources, and access to healthcare impact risk of teenage pregnancy. A quantitative survey assessed factors such as sex-related attitudes, parent/peer communication, living environment, and educational attainment. Two primary research questions and 8 related hypotheses were formulated for investigation. Using binary logistic regression, the data in this study revealed that an increase in positive environmental factors (household income and parental education) and an increase in positive personal factors (parental/peer communication, teen's academic achievement, and attitudes toward sex) decreased negative behaviors (risks of teen pregnancy). This study may promote positive social change by providing information on relevant social and educational factors to those responsible for the design of comprehensive pregnancy prevention programs that target at-risk teenagers. Provision of comprehensive social and health services to teenage parents and their children may help to reduce rates of first-time and repeat teenage pregnancies and thus prevent the negative social consequences of these pregnancies.

The current models for stigma measurement are disease-specific and created for use with adults, despite the fact that stigma may be experienced also by adolescents and may be layered, and not simply the result of one disease. Stigma in adolescents may effect their life outcome, as many emotional and social changes are happening at this point in life, therefore developing a measure to address stigma in youth is important. Focus groups of youth will be chosen based on sexual orientation, ethnic minority, street involvement, visible physical disability and history of sexual exploitation, with an eye to ensuring the sample contains individuals experiencing layered stigma. The result of research will be an adolescent- specific measure of perceived stigma, enacted stigma and internalized stigma that can be used to understand how stigma effects the perceptions, risk-behaviours and futures of youth, and to develop stigma reduction strategies.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1933.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1933.

archives@tulane.edu / Emerging adults are at higher risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) than any other age group and women of color experience IPV at higher rates than white women. African American female adolescents who have experienced IPV are more likely to exhibit unhealthy sexual behaviors than their peers who have not experienced IPV, such as inconsistent condom use. Most unintended pregnancies among adolescents occur when contraception is used inconsistently. There is a small but growing body of literature on the health of African American college students. Students attending HBCUs engage in less risky behaviors than white college students yet experience a heavier burden of sexual consequences. Study participants were surveyed as part of an online pregnancy prevention intervention evaluation. All participants were African American females ages 18–19 living in the New Orleans area. The Theory of Gender and Power was used to examine exposures and risk factors of sexual risk behaviors. The prevalence of psychological aggression victimization was 52% at baseline. There were significant relationships between psychological aggression and being in a steady relationship or experiencing depression. The prevalence of consistent contraception use was 54% and of consistent condom use was 58%. There was a significant relationship between inconsistent condom use and psychological aggression victimization occurring two or more times. There was no significant relationship between consistent contraception use and psychological aggression; there were significant relationships for sometimes using alcohol or drugs before sexual activity and depression. The prevalence of consistent contraception use among HBCU students was 62%. There was a significant relationship between consistent contraception use and the education level of female students’ mothers. Healthy relationship-skill building is essential for young men and women. Additionally, first-generation college students at HBCUs need sexual health programming. Comprehensive interventions and wrap-around services are needed to improve the sexual health of late adolescents. / 1 / Kendra LeSar

Collecting and aggregating timely and rigorous data for sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (SRMNCAH) services and outcomes evaluation in humanitarian settings is essential for accountability and transparency. However, reliable SRMCNAH data are scarce in such settings, and the quality of available data often varies across different humanitarian settings. Establishing a core set of SRMNCAH indicators that are feasible to collect in all humanitarian settings is the first step in developing and implementing a common core framework for monitoring SRMNCAH programs in such settings. Led by the World Health Organization, in 2018 a group of global experts in the SRMNCAH field proposed a core list of indicators for inclusion in routine data collection systems. In 2019-2022, a team at the University of Ottawa in partnership with local investigators led multi-method feasibility assessments in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Jordan to understand the feasibility, relevance, and acceptability of the proposed core indictors. In this thesis I report on the results from the multi-methods assessment in Afghanistan. Based on a desk review, key informant interviews, facility assessments, facility observation sessions, and focus group discussions in three provinces, we explored national stakeholders’ perspectives on SRMNCAH data collection, in general, and the proposed indicator list, in particular. The findings of this assessment and the results from the other three countries will help stakeholders reach a consensus on the final list of SRMNCAH indicators that are feasible for collection in all humanitarian settings.

Background: As obesity continues to be a global epidemic, health professionals continue to search for effective intervention and prevention programs. As suggested early in the 20th century, sport participation creates an environment not only for one to be physically active at a particular moment, but also to cultivate and develop skills necessary to lead a physically active lifestyle across one’s lifespan. Further, sports can provide individuals with an ideal environment to cultivate the psychological constructs of resilience and self-efficacy, traits that can provide them with protective agents that support physical and mental health, thus promoting greater life satisfaction. Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine the impact of previous high school sport participation on college freshmen’s current levels of exercise self-efficacy, resilience, and psychological need satisfaction in exercise; and (2) to examine relationships between demographic variables and exercise self-efficacy, resilience, and psychological need satisfaction in exercise (PNSE). Methods: A cross-sectional, stratified random sampling technique was employed to collect responses from college freshmen across the country (n = 156) using a SurveyMonkey survey instrument. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were completed to examine differences, based on demographic and sports participation factors, on the constructs of exercise self-efficacy, resilience, and PNSE. Independent samples t tests were conducted with dichotomous demographic variables. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple linear regression modelling was completed to attempt to predict exercise self-efficacy, resilience, and PNSE scores for respondents based upon their demographic and sports participation variables. Results: The results of analyses indicated that both resilience and PNSE, but not self-efficacy, were associated with sports participation. High school GPA, total physical activity, having met moderate PA guidelines, and being a collegiate athlete were each associated with exercise self-efficacy. Furthermore, high school GPA, total physical activity, freshmen standing, and being a collegiate athlete were each associated with resilience. Lastly, total physical activity and moderate PA guidelines met were associated with PNSE. Conclusion: The findings of this study may support sports participation as a way to develop exercise self-efficacy, resilience, and PNSE. Collectively, these findings may support the development of a model for adolescent programming that could include the development of each of these constructs, the implications of which could positively affect both academic and athletic domains.

Conducting focus groups with children may be a useful strategy for the development of health care interventions, particularly those involving visual media such as health games. However, these groups can be challenging given a child's attention span and the constraints of their developmental needs. The use of interactive theatre techniques is a relatively novel development in focus group methodology that may be well suited for focus groups involving children. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the use of interactive theatre techniques as part of a program of research being conducted to develop an intervention to delay initiation of intercourse in middle school girls. The study design included both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data sources include: (a) videotape and participant observation notes from two focus groups (one somewhat higher in acculturation, one somewhat lower in acculturation) conducted with Latina middle schoolers (n = 15), and (b) interviews with the Principal Investigator (PI) on the larger study and the Director of the Interactive Performance Lab (IPL) who facilitated the focus groups. Videotape data were coded for positive affect and anxiety as indicated by nonverbal behaviors (forward lean, fidgeting. Interview data were content analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize coding data and responses to the study demographic questionnaire used to measure age, country of birth, and grade level. The effects of group differences in acculturation on non-verbal behavior were examined with chi-square and t-test. Results indicated a positive response to the experience: (1) members of both focus groups spontaneously expressed positive thoughts about the experience and asked to do another focus group; (2) forward leaning and participation increased over time in both groups. Field notes indicated that the more acculturated group (as indicated by place of birth) disclosed more sensitive information. This group also exhibited significantly more forward leaning (p < .01). However, the two groups did not differ significantly in mean participation (p = .44) and both showed large amounts of participation. Useful information, both context (i.e., scene setting information), and content (i.e, what should happen in the scene) were identified in the focus groups. Analysis of interviews with the Pl and the Director of the IPL indicated that each looked for different things in the data and had different perspectives regarding the "next steps" in the research process. Study findings support the use of interactive theatre techniques in focus groups involving children and argue for an interdisciplinary approach in which a nurse researcher pairs with an expert in theatre and improvisational techniques. Additional implications for research include the importance of having a debriefing period and using participation as an indicator of engagement.

Os objetos de investigação desse estudo foram o bullying escolar e as interações familiares. O bullying é um tipo de violência considerado problema de saúde pública e as interações familiares são caracterizadas pelas práticas parentais, comportamentos e sentimentos. Objetivou-se analisar e compreender a relação entre a qualidade das interações familiares de adolescentes e o envolvimento em situações de bullying escolar, a partir da perspectiva dos estudantes. Participaram do estudo 2.354 (meninas = 50, 7%; idade média M = 14,5 anos, DP = 2,0 anos) estudantes do ensino fundamental e médio, de 11 escolas públicas de Uberaba/MG. A abordagem da triangulação metodológica foi adotada e se conjugou na coleta de dados o uso de duas escalas (bullying e interações familiares), além da técnica de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os procedimentos de análise dos dados incluíram: análise estatística descritiva; análise de variância e regressão logística para avaliar o poder preditivo ou protetivo de variáveis familiares em relação ao bullying escolar. As entrevistas foram analisadas por meio da análise de conteúdo, em sua modalidade temática, no software Atlas.TI. Desse processo emergiram três categorias temáticas: 1) Inter-relações e influências familiares no que ocorre na escola; 2) Família como espaço para o desenvolvimento ético e moral; 3) Sinergias e enfrentamento de base familiar e escolar. O referencial teórico-metodológico adotado foi a Teoria Bioecológica do Desenvolvimento de Urie Bronfenbrenner. O estudo identificou uma prevalência de 10,3% de estudantes agressores, 10,1% de vítimas e 5,4% de vítimas-agressoras na amostra. Na análise combinada dos dados, verificou-se que os estudantes não-envolvidos em situações de bullying possuíam melhores interações familiares, sugerindo um padrão inverso de interações familiares para estudantes identificados como agressores, vítimas e vítimas-agressoras. A análise de variância revelou essa constatação ao identificar diferenças significativas entre os grupos de estudantes (não-envolvidos, agressores, vítimas e vítimas-agressoras) no que se refere à qualidade das interações familiares. Efeitos do monitoramento e o estabelecimento de regras no contexto familiar foi um aspecto protetivo identificado, e se observou que envolvimento, comunicação e clima conjugal positivos e apego às figuras parentais são dimensões a serem exploradas para definir estratégias de proteção e enfrentamento do bullying. Aspectos negativos das interações familiares foram associadas a maior possibilidade de bullying ou vitimização entre os estudantes. Confirmou-se que a qualidade das interações familiares exerce influência no envolvimento dos adolescentes em situações de bullying escolar enquanto agressores, vítimas ou vítimas-agressoras. Os dados encontrados foram congruentes com estudos que revelaram serem as famílias de agressores e vítimas menos funcionais do que as famílias de estudantes sem envolvimento com bullying. A triangulação metodológica foi relevante para captar os sentidos e os significados atribuídos pelos adolescentes às diferentes interações familiares na construção de práticas de bullying e vitimização. As influências temporais e potenciais das experiências familiares incluíram desde situações que protegem àquelas que são potencialmente perigosas para que os estudantes pratiquem ou sofram bullying na escola. Implicações para a área da saúde foram exploradas a partir dos aspectos empíricos explorados no estudo / This study\'s research objects were school bullying and family interactions. Bullying is a type of violence considered to be a public health problem and family interactions are characterized by parental practices, behaviors and feelings. The objective was to analyze and understand the relationship between the quality of adolescents\' family interactions and their involvement in school bullying from their own students\' perspective. A total of 2,354 primary and middle school students (girls = 50.7%; average age = 14.5 years old, SD = 2.0 years) from 11 public schools from Uberaba, MG, Brazil participated in the study. Methodological triangulation was adopted and data were collected using two scales (bullying and family interactions), in addition to semi-structured interviews. Data analysis procedures included: descriptive statistical analysis; ANOVA to check for differences and similarities among the means obtained by the groups involved in bullying in regard to nine dimensions of quality of family interaction; and logistic regression to assess the predictive or protective power of family variables in regard to school bullying. Interviews were analyzed using content thematic analysis through Atlas.TI. From this process emerged three thematic categories: 1) Inter-relationships and the influence of families on what happen at the school; 2) Family as a space for ethical and moral development; 3) Synergies and family and school-based coping. The theoretical- methodological framework adopted was the Bronfenbrenner\'s bio-ecological development theory. The results reveal a prevalence of 10.3% of bullies, 10.1% of victims, and 5.4% of victims-bullies in the sample. The combined data analysis verified that students not involved with bullying enjoyed better family interactions, suggesting there is an inverse pattern of family interactions for those identified as bullies, victims or victim- bullies. Variance analysis confirmed this, as it identified significant differences among groups (students not involved with bullying, bullies, victims, and victim-bullies) in regard to the quality of family interactions. Effects from monitoring and the establishment of rules in the family context constituted a protective factor, while positive involvement, communication and marital climate and attachment to parental figures are dimensions to be explored and verified in regard to issues concerning protective factors and coping. The negative aspects of family interactions were associated with a higher likelihood of bullying or victimization among students. The quality of family interactions plays a role in the involvement of adolescents with school bullying, whether as bullies, victims or victim-bullies. These findings are in agreement with those from studies reporting that the families of bullies and victims are less functional than the families of students not involved with bullying. The triangulation of data was important to capturing the meanings adolescents assign to the different family interactions in the development of bullying and victimization. The temporal and potential influence of family experiences include situations from those of a protective nature to those with the potential to lead students to practice or suffer bullying at school. Implications for the health field were explored based on the empirical aspects explored in this study