Pediatric overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) for age of 85th-95th percentile, and occurs in approximately 33.6% of adolescents 12-19 years of age. Hispanic adolescents are disproportionately at risk for overweight. Excess weight can predispose adolescents to develop diabetes mellitus type 2, coronary artery disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, asthma, and certain types of cancer, whereas physical activity can help prevent and treat these diseases. Little is known about the factors that contribute to physical activity in Hispanic adolescent girls. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the influence of personal characteristics, perceptual influences, interpersonal influences and sociocultural influences on physical activity in White and Hispanic adolescent girls. The theoretical framework for this study was self-designed--the Physical Activity Lifestyle Model. Data for this cross-sectional study was collected from girls age 11-14 who presented to the Children's Wellness Center in Del Valle, TX (N = 121) in the summers of 2011 and 2012. Most participants self-identified as Hispanic (n = 106). Participants completed a survey consisting of a 1-day physical activity recall, a demographic questionnaire, and several validated (primarily Likert-type) questionnaires. Height and weight were measured in the clinic. Data analysis began with descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation and percentage) of demographic characteristics, dependent and independent variables, then Pearson correlations, and finally multiple linear regression to determine the influence of the independent variables on physical activity. No significant differences were found between ethnic groups on age, grade or school (p > .05). Physical activity was significantly related to body image (r = .189, p < .05), friend social support (r = .279, p < .01), and family social support (r = .401, p < .01). In addition, physical activity significantly predicted BMI percentile (B = -.043, SE = .019, t = -2.249, p = .027), appearance-related media messages (B = .259, SE = .127, t = 2.038, p = .044), pressures to be thin (B = .311, SE = .149, t = 2.082, p = .040), family social support for physical activity (B = .089, SE = .042, t = 2.139, p = .035), body image (B = .367, SE = .123, t = 2.987, p = .004), and physical activity enjoyment (B = .083, SE = .040, t = 2.089, p = .040). When designing an intervention to promote physical activity, health care providers and educators should consider that multiple external factors influence physical activity participation in Hispanic adolescent girls. Healthcare providers should involve parents and siblings in physical activity interventions for overweight adolescent girls. Interventions should be tailored to work with the adolescent girls' physical and social environment. Public health nurses should work with schools and communities to increase physical activity opportunities for adolescent girls in physical education classes, girls' sports, and after-school programs. / text

<div> <p>In the last several years, it has become apparent that racial/ethnic minority graduate students face an increased risk for mental health issues (Clark, Mercer, Zeigler-Hill, & Dufrene, 2012; Paradies et al., 2015). Contextualizing their experiences and determining what factors play a role in increasing this risk specifically for racial/ethnic minority graduate students could help provide information about areas for intervention. However, there is a lack of literature on the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities in graduate school and the implications of those experiences for their mental health. It is important to understand their experience in the context of minority status stress through the use of Stress Process Theory (Pearlin, Menaghen, Lieberman, & Mullan, 1981). As such I hypothesized several positive and unique contributions to depressive symptoms by career and education barriers and minority status stress. Additionally, I hypothesized that minority status stress would mediate the relationship between career and education barriers and depressive symptoms, and that perceived family social support would moderate the relationships between career and education barriers, minority status stress, and depressive symptoms. To this end I used this regression-based, quantitative study to examine the associations between the perception of career and education barriers, minority status stress, perceived family social support, and depressive symptoms among a sample (<i>N</i> = 311) of domestic racial/ethnic minority graduate students currently enrolled in degree granting programs. The results revealed that the perception of career barriers uniquely contributed to depressive symptoms, although not in the hypothesized direction with career barriers being a negative predictor of depressive symptoms. Minority status stress uniquely contributed to depressive symptoms in the hypothesized directions and serves as a mediator between the perception of career barriers and depressive symptoms. The perception of education barriers did not uniquely contribute to depressive symptoms. Additionally, perceived family social support moderated only the relationship between the perception of career barriers and depressive symptoms; a moderator effect was not found in any other relationship. Implications for future research and practice, as well as the study’s limitations are discussed<b></b></p> </div> <b><br></b>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:16:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rita de Cassia Silva Oliveira.pdf: 3180769 bytes, checksum: 41363451e0ac31d13e11350121427ee8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In light of the theoretical and ethical-political foundations of Social Work, this thesis discusses the right to family and community life and the recurrent decision of the government and civil society to prioritize adoption as a way to "solve" the situation of children and adolescents living in institutions. Between 2003 and 2009, we experienced a clash between antagonistic postures in defense of this right, which occurred together with the dissemination of researches on childcare that highlighted the need for the State to implement more effective policies to ensure the exceptionality and temporality of this protection measure. As participants in the São Paulo movement against the approval of the National Adoption Bill No. 1756-2003, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the processuality which resulted in the enactment of the law No. 12.010 in 2009. The text covers the subaltern classes historic rupture legacy of family life and community, claiming back, in legislation, the genesis of the ideas of adoption as a "solution" for those who are taken in. The approach to the course of the the National Adoption Bill No. 1756-2003 sought to answer the following guiding questions: What is the concept of family and community life that permeated the debates? How was the articulation of the PNCFC construction process and the legal procedures of PLNA? What is the influence of the São Paulo movement, contrary to the PL, on its legal procedures in the legislative process? What remained from the original proposals and what has substantially changed? Are there new bills pending whose purpose is to make adopting agile? And after all, was the centrality of the family strengthened in terms of support or accountability in a familist perspective? In order to be able to reconstruct all this, we favored the documentary research in primary and secondary sources, such as previous versions of the plan and several bills in addition to the National Adoption Bill No. 1756-2003, as well as the results of public consultations and shorthand transcripts of sessions of the House of Representatives. The conclusion shows that, in the gap between the legal guarantee and the reality of no access to fundamental rights, the "centrality of the family" can assume perspectives that reinforce the process of inequality they experience. Despite the legal and regulatory advances, actions in defense of the fundamental right to family and community life tended to emphasize the reorganization of institutional care services, the need for the implementation of foster care and the adoption-centered interests of the child, having progressed very little in terms of the control of public policies aiming at the protection of socialization, prevention of rupture and reintegration to the family of origin. Anchored in a contradiction of the Brazilian capitalist society - economic reordering overlaps the social investment, which focuses on meeting the minimum necessary needs - public actions still tend to reproduce failing mechanisms of rupture instead of mechanisms of promotion and strengthening of the family and community life of subaltern classes in the child best interest / À luz dos fundamentos teóricos e ético-políticos do Serviço Social, esta tese problematiza o direito à convivência familiar e comunitária e a recorrência do poder público e da sociedade civil em privilegiar a adoção, como forma de resolver a situação de crianças e adolescentes acolhidos institucionalmente. Entre 2003 e 2009 paralelamente à divulgação das pesquisas sobre os serviços de acolhimento - que evidenciaram a necessidade da implementação de políticas mais efetivas por parte do Estado para garantir a excepcionalidade e a provisoriedade dessa medida de proteção - vivenciamos um embate entre posturas antagônicas na defesa do direito à convivência familiar e comunitária. Como partícipes do movimento de São Paulo contrário à aprovação do Projeto de Lei Nacional de Adoção 1756-2003, com esta tese, pretendemos contribuir para a compreensão da processualidade que resultou na promulgação da Lei 12.010 em 2009. A estrutura do texto percorre o histórico legado de ruptura do convívio familiar e comunitário das classes subalternas, por meio da recorrente institucionalização de seus filhos em busca da gênese do ideário da adoção como solução para os acolhidos. A pesquisa na legislação - Código Civil de 1916, Leis de 1957 e 1965, Código de Menores de 1927 e de 1979, ECA e, finalmente o PLNA 1756-2003 que deu origem a Lei 12010-2009- buscou responder as seguintes questões norteadoras: Como as legislações conjugaram o trinômio apoio sociofamiliar institucionalização adoção ? Em que momento a adoção se torna a solução para a pobreza? Qual o conteúdo da primeira versão do PLNA? Como ele foi construído? Qual a influência do movimento de São Paulo contrário ao referido PL em sua tramitação no legislativo? Como se deu a articulação do processo de construção do PNCFC e da tramitação do PLNA? Como chegamos ao texto da Lei 12010-2009 que, apesar de ser conhecida como a Lei da Adoção , trata da convivência familiar e comunitária? O que se manteve conforme as propostas originais e o que mudou substancialmente? Qual a concepção do melhor interesse da criança que permeou os debates? Temos novos projetos de lei em trâmite com o propósito da agilização de adoção? E afinal, qual o sentido da centralidade atribuída às famílias das crianças e dos adolescentes acolhidos institucionalmente? Para essa reconstrução privilegiamos a pesquisa documental em fontes primárias e secundárias tais como ofícios, relatórios, versões anteriores do PNCFC, de vários projetos de lei relativos a adoção e as transcrições das sessões taquigrafadas da Câmara dos Deputados do PLNA 1756-2003 e seu substitutivo PL 6222-2005. A conclusão aponta que entre a garantia legal e sua (não) efetivação na realidade, a centralidade da família pode assumir perspectivas que reforçam o processo de desigualdade que vivenciam. Apesar dos avanços legais e regulatórios que se aprofundaram na segunda década do ECA, as ações em defesa do direito fundamental à convivência familiar e comunitária tenderam a enfatizar o reordenamento dos serviços de acolhimento institucional, a necessidade da implementação de acolhimento familiar e a a ampliação da adoção, pouco avançando no controle das políticas públicas para proteção do convívio, prevenção da ruptura e reintegração à família de origem. Os projetos de lei em tramitação indicam que, cada vez mais, ganha força o ideário da adoção de crianças como solução para as expressões da questão social brasileira, numa perspectiva funcional à lógica capitalista e aos interesses de determinada classe social, mascarado sob a defesa do melhor interesse da criança