Background: Adolescent obesity has tripled over the last three decades and is associated with an 80 percent risk of adult obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and decreased life expectancy. Current adolescent obesity medical recommendations include bariatric surgery and appetite suppressants which lower BMI, but present serious health risks. Nutrition and exercise interventions promote health, however, meta-analysis reveal do not lower BMI. Mindful eating, a behavioral skill, reconnecting eating to satiety cues, and has potential as an anti-obesity intervention which lowers BMI, while promoting health. Study Aims: Aim 1: To determine the effect of a mindful eating intervention compared to usual diet and exercise information on BMI of obese female adolescents. Aim 2: To determine if the effect of a mindful eating intervention on BMI of obese female adolescents is sustained over time. Aim 3: To determine the feasibility of conducting a group mindful eating intervention over six weeks for obese adolescent girls in their school setting. Methods: Obesity was measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight in Pounds / Height in inches x Height in inches x 703. The sample included adolescent females aged 14-17 years with BMI>90th%. Participants were randomized to an intervention group receiving a 6 week mindful eating intervention and a comparison group receiving the usual care of nutrition and physical activity handouts. Participants' BMI was measured at baseline, immediately post intervention and at 4 week follow up assessing intervention effectiveness. Results: ANOVA results demonstrate a statistically significant difference in BMI between the experimental and comparison groups F(1,2)=22.24, p<.001. On average, the experimental group's BMI decreased 0.71, whereas the comparison group's BMI increased by 1.1 over the 6 week intervention. The experimental group's BMI continued to decline at the 4 week follow up. Attrition from the study was 38%, below the 45% set feasibility threshold. A group mindful eating intervention over six weeks for obese adolescent girls was effective in lowering BMI sustained over time is feasible. Teaching the behavioral skill of mindful eating holds great promise for combatting obesity in adolescents. Future study should include a school based intervention with a larger more diverse sample.

Media reports and interviews with counselors indicate that academic stress and adolescent distress is a significant problem in India, but little systematic research has been conducted on the issue. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used in the current study - surveys assessed the prevalence of academic stress and adolescent distress, and interviews with 12th standard students explored their perceptions of the issue and their understanding of the role of parents.In the survey part of the study, the prevalence of the problem was assessed with the use of scales that measured depression and anxiety. Surveys were completed by 12th standard students (n = 588) from the south Indian city of Chennai. A majority of students reported that they were stressed by the coming school year, and rates of depression and anxiety were very high in the sample. In contrast with previous research and contrary to expectations, few gender, academic track and school type differences were found. Further analyses indicated that different groups of students appeared to experience distress in different ways.Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12th standard students (n = 24) to explore their perceptions of academic stress and adolescent distress. Their perceptions could be categorized into six themes: busy schedules, experience of stress, somatic symptoms, attitudes and beliefs about 12th standard, the role of God vs. hard work, and education reform. The same interview data was also used to understand the role of parents. Analysis suggested that parents were involved in their child's education in five ways - they had specific expectations for achievement, they put pressure on their children, they compared their child to others, they controlled the study environment, and they were supportive of their children. Some categories appeared to be associated with a greater experience of academic stress and adolescent distress than others. The interview data was also explored for gender, academic track, and school type differences.Jointly, these findings suggest that academic stress and adolescent distress is indeed a significant problem in Chennai, India. A variety of interventions are suggested to address the issue.

The overarching goal of this dissertation was to examine the self-perceptions of adolescents with ADHD with regard to their core ADHD symptoms and associated problem behaviors. Self-perceptions were examined in relation to awareness of problem behaviors (i.e., presence of a &ldquo;positive illusory bias&rdquo; or PIB), attributions, and stigma. Study 1 examined the PIB in relation to the ignorance of incompetence hypothesis in 74 13-to-18 year old adolescents [40 ADHD; 34 Typically-Developing Comparison (TD)]. Compared to TD adolescents, adolescents with ADHD underestimated their ADHD symptoms and associated oppositional, academic, and social problems relative to parent raters, indicating that they have a PIB. Nevertheless, they were cognizant of their patterns of academic achievement and social problems. The only area in which adolescents with ADHD demonstrated limited awareness of their difficulties was for oppositional behaviors. Within the ADHD sample, adolescents with external locus of causality attributions had a higher PIB for oppositional behaviors than adolescents with ADHD with internal locus of causality attributions. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 2 examined the PIB, attributions, and stigma perceptions in 66 14-to-18 year old adolescents (31 ADHD, 35 TD) and 107 9-to-12 year old children (65 ADHD, 42 TD); cognitive immaturity as a mechanism for the PIB and developmental differences in attribution patterns and stigmatization were the focus. Although both children and adolescents with ADHD demonstrated a PIB for their ADHD symptoms, the magnitude of the PIB was reduced in adolescence (particularly for hyperactivity-impulsivity). Both adolescents with and without ADHD showed a reduction in the PIB for inattentive symptoms relative to children. Participants with ADHD viewed their problem behaviors as more pervasive, uncontrollable, and stigmatizing than participants without ADHD, and adolescents viewed their behaviors as more pervasive, uncontrollable, and stigmatizing than children. The findings offered theoretical support to the cognitive immaturity mechanism for the PIB and to Harters(2012) model of normative development of self-representations. Associations were found between the PIB and attributions. Minimal support was obtained for the ignorance of incompetence hypothesis in most domains. Future research directions and clinical implications are discussed.

This study aims to investigate the perception and experience of emotion self-regulation in a group of late adolescents. An exploratory, qualitative survey design was used to collect data from a group of 54 Afrikaans-speaking late adolescents by means of a semi structured emotion self-regulation questionnaire. Data were assessed by means of directed thematic content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). It was established that participants primarily have a positive perception of emotions, and that more participants display higher levels of emotion awareness. However, despite this, most participants experience emotions negatively. At most, therefore, a balance is struck between the constructive and unconstructive handling of emotions. Throughout it was endeavoured to relate the results to late adolescence as a developmental stage. Study conclusions include that emotion self-regulation in late adolescents is strongly influenced by uncertainty about the handling of emotions, self-consciousness with regard to emotions in a social context, and a lack of self-control. A few recommendations are made on the basis of these conclusions. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The present study involved an extension and evaluation of a mindfulness-based training program for families of adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). MYmind: Mindfulness training for Youth with ADHD and their parents (Bogels et al., 2008) is an eight-week manualized treatment incorporating elements of mindfulness meditation, ADHD psychoeducation and cognitive behavioural therapy. MYmind focuses on helping families cultivate mindfulness through training in formal meditation practices and integrating this skill into the context of everyday life as a means of managing ADHD symptoms, stress, family relations and difficult emotions. A North American sample of 13 parents and 9 adolescents (ages 13-18) participated in MYmind; during the intervention, parents and adolescents attended separate groups that ran simultaneously. Using a time-series multiple baseline design, constructs of stress, distress from family conflict, ADHD symptomatology and meditation practice were measured via short questionnaires emailed daily to both parents and adolescents throughout baseline, treatment and six months of follow-up. For multiple baseline purposes, intervention was introduced in a time-lagged fashion. Results from parent and adolescent reports indicated reductions in parent and adolescent stress, parent and adolescent distress due to family conflict, and increased frequency and duration of meditation practice. Parent reports suggested a decrease in their adolescents’ inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms after participating in MYmind, a reduction that was not confirmed by adolescent reports. Most treatment gains were maintained up to six-months following treatment completion. Meditation practice was significantly correlated with reduced stress levels for both groups. Both parents and adolescents reported high satisfaction with the MYmind program overall. Mindfulness training appears to hold considerable potential for improving the multiple difficulties experienced by adolescents with ADHD and their parents.

In this study, a user-centred design approach was used to develop a mobile health application designed to support adult T1DM patients with their self-management routine. In the requirements gathering phase, an observational study of a diabetes clinic and patient interviews were conducted. An analysis of the data collected from this phase helped identify the functional design requirements used to guide the design. Using a rapid prototyping approach, data visualizations, game-based elements, carb-counting and social networking features were explored. The final prototype developed in this research was evaluated for its ease of use and perceived usefulness. The design was found to be generally easy to use. With respect to data visualizations, participants preferred the scatter plot view of their blood glucose readings to a bar chart. In addition, it was found that all participants wanted a way to track their HbA1c on a regular basis.

Background: As the number of smokers in industrialized nations declines the number of smokers in developing countries increases. Many of the nations that are experiencing an increase in smoking prevalence are poor, politically unstable countries. The smoking rates among adolescents are increasing at an especially alarming rate. The tumultuous sociopolitical conditions such as civil unrest, the overthrowing of government regimes and the presence of political violence makes adolescents in these environments susceptible to engagement in high risk behavior such as smoking as a means of self- medicating the symptoms of mental disorder or unhealthy coping mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference in smoking behaviors and beliefs among adolescents in politically unstable countries compared to those in more stable areas. Methods: The West Bank, Gaza Strip, Yemen, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait were selected for inclusion in the study based on their World Bank Indicators. Stable countries were defined by their ranking in the 50th percentile or higher on the Political Stability and Absence of Violence Index, whereas unstable countries were defined as being in the 10th percentile or lower. Using secondary data from the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) for eight countries, univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the factors associated with smoking behaviors. Cases were truncated for 13- 15 year old respondents. A p- value of < .05 and 95% confidence intervals was used to determine statistical significance through the various analyses performed. Results: The univariate and multivariate analysis found that living in an unstable country and being male was associated with increased odds of smoking and experimentation among 13- 15 year old adolescents. Conclusion: The study results suggest that political stability may be associated with smoking behaviors and beliefs among adolescents. Since the factors that create political instability are multi-factorial and beyond the scope of this study, interventions should be designed to address smoking and other risk behaviors within this unique sociopolitical context. Previous interventions in similar settings have found programs integrating mental health dimension and religious leaders have been successful in staving off the onset of smoking among study populations. INDEX WORDS: teens, adolescents, trauma, political instability, risk behavior, tobacco, smoking, interventions,

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation among youth in sub-Saharan Africa and to evaluate differences in such prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation to identify how risk behaviors vary by gender across country settings. METHODS: Analyses are based on the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Botswana (N=2197; 2005), Kenya (N=3691; 2003), Tanzania (N=2176; 2006), Uganda (N=3215; 2003) and Zambia (N=2257; 2004) of students primarily 13 to 16 years of age. Logistic regression analyses were computed to determine the associations between correlates (i.e., hunger, current alcohol use, problem drinking, bullying victimization, sadness, loneliness, worrying, having no close friends, missed school, illicit drug use, physical fights, physical attacks and early sexual initiation) and suicidal ideation for all students and between boys and girls. RESULTS: The results showed variability in the prevalence of suicidal ideation across these countries. Zambia had the highest prevalence of suicidal ideation (31.9%) among all students, followed by Kenya (27.9%), Botswana (23.1%), Uganda (19.6%) and Tanzania (11.2%). Sadness was the most commonly associated correlate of suicidal ideation among students. Sadness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Sadness remained significantly associated among boys and girls across the same countries. CONCLUSION: The associations between the risk factors examined and suicidal ideation have helped to increase the understanding of an ignored, but critical issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is an urgent need for additional research in this area in addition to greater suicide prevention efforts in sub-Saharan African countries.

Effect of socio-cultural environment to the life stile of adolescents The purpose of this survey is to reveal the relation between the socio-cultural environment of adolescents and their life stile. In the process of writing this paper the following targets were announced: 1. To analyse and summarize scientific literature which analyses the issues of life stile. 2. In the form of questionnaire survey to study the peculiarities of life stile of the adolescents, who live in town and in the country and who belong to different social classes. The survey was carried out in the town of Šiauliai and its region in 2004. 166 respondents of grades 9-10 from secondary and basic schools of Šiauliai and its region took part in the survey. The data of the survey revealed that the main factors affecting the life stile of adolescents are the place of residence and social stratification of the family. The influence of the above-mentioned factors was revealed in accordance to four components: values, relations with parents, relations with adolescents of the same age and free time. Moreover, the survey showed the contrast among the town and countryside adolescents from economically strong and weak families. The adolescents who live in town value friends (x = 3,62) and health (x = 4,13) more, whereas the adolescents who live in the country value their parents (x = 3,49). These values are also preferred by the adolescents from economically strong families. The adolescents, who live in the... [to full text]

Darbo tikslas. Ištirti ir įvertinti moksleivių maitinimą Panevėžio miesto ir rajono mokyklose. Uždaviniai: • Ištirti moksleivių mitybos įpročius atsižvelgiant į lytį, amžių, gyvenamąją vietą. • Nustatyti moksleivių maitinimosi mokyklose būdus. • Įvertinti moksleivių nuomonę apie mokyklų valgyklose teikiamo maisto asortimentą ir paslaugų kokybę. • Pateikti pasiūlymus moksleivių mitybai pagerinti. Tyrimo metodika. Tyrimas atliktas 2004/2005 mokslo metais. Anketavimo būdu apklausta 981 devintos ir vienuoliktos klasės moksleiviai iš atsitiktiniu būdu atrinktų 7 bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų, esančių Panevėžio apskrityje. Tyrimui buvo naudota 36 klausimų anoniminė anketa. Statistinė duomenų analizė buvo atlikta naudojant SPSS 11 programos paketą. Rezultatai. Beveik pusė (45 proc.) moksleivių nurodė, jog jie dažnai valgo vaisius. Žalias daržoves valgė mažesnė dalis moksleivių – 28,1 proc. 45 proc apklaustųjų teigė, kad sultis geria ne dažniau kaip kartą per savaitę. Iš pieno produktų dažniau vartojamas pienas, kefyras ir jogurtas (43,4proc.), varškė ir sūris (32,5 proc.) Kas antras (40,5 proc.) moksleivis teigia, jog juodą rupią duoną renkasi kasdien. Nemaža dalis moksleivių renkasi mažos maistinės vertės maisto produktus: dažnai valgo saldainių ir šokolado (53,4 proc.), sausainių, pyragaičių ir torto (31,7 proc.), traškučių (16,6 proc.), geria kokakolos ir kitų saldžiųjų gėrimų (23 proc.) moksleivių. Taip pat daug moksleivių mėgsta keptas bulves (20,4 proc.), renkasi baltą duoną ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the work. To investigate and evaluate schoolchildren nutrition in Panevėžys City and district schools. Objectives: • To explore schoolchildren nutrition habits considering their gender, age and living place. • To identify ways of schoolchildren nutrition at school. • To provide suggestions for schoolchildren nutrition improvement. Research methodology. The research was done in 2004/2005. Using a questionnaire method have been questioned 981 schoolchildren of ninth and eleventh classes selected at random from 7 comprehensive schools of Penevėžys region. It was used for the research anonymous questionnaire with 36 questions in it. Statistical data analysis have been done using SPSS11 program packet. Results. Almost half (45) of schoolchildren referred that they often eat fruits. Raw vegetables have eat lesser part of schoolchildren – 28,1 . 45  of respondents stated that they drink juice not more than once a week. From dairy products, more often used are milk, kefir, yoghurt (43,4), curd and cheese (32,5 ). Every other (40,5 ) schoolchild states that brown wholemeal bread they use every day. A fair part of schoolchildren select little nutrient value alimentary products: often schoolchildren eat sweets and chocolate (53,4 ), cookies, cakes (31,7 ), crisps (16,6 ), drink Coca-Cola and other sweet drinks (23 ). Also many schoolchildren like fried potatoes (20,4 ), choose white bread and French bread (67,8 ). Only every third schoolchild (32,4 ) state... [to full text]