Despite the large number of hepatitis C tests performed in Australia each year and the effort expended on developing and implementing policies to regulate this practice, very little research has been undertaken on the human factors associated with hepatitis C testing. This thesis aims to: 1) examine patterns (prevalence and incidence) of hepatitis C testing among young people who experience homelessness in Melbourne, Australia, and how they relate to behavioural and contextual factors, and 2) examine the contexts in which hepatitis C testing occurs for these young people. Two studies were undertaken to address these aims. The first employed longitudinal panel surveys collected from young people who had recently become homeless for the first time (N=165) over three waves: baseline, 12-month and 24-months. The second employed semi-structured qualitative interviews 24-months after baseline with 20 young people recruited from the longitudinal cohort.

Thesis (D. Min.)--McCormick Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Description based on Print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-126). Also available online via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (D. Min.)--McCormick Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-126). Also available online via the World Wide Web.

This study is concerned with migration of children/young people from northern to southern cities in Ghana. It focuses attention on the following specific research questions: What are young peoples’ motivations for migration, and negotiations surrounding the decision-making process? What are the precarious employment and living situation associated with young migrants? In what ways do social networks support young migrants in the migration process? What role does migration for work play in the lives of young migrants and their left behind families? What are young migrants’ aspirations for the future? To answer these questions, the study draws on the analytical insights gained from the concept of social navigation and social capital/network literatures, and primary research conducted in Ghana. A key finding from this study demonstrate that young peoples’ migration is closely linked to the unequal spatial development manifested in relative poverty conditions in rural northern Ghana, and the desires of children/young people to work and earn income in the south, where better economic prospect exists. Migration is also propelled by young migrants’ decisions to be free from strained and abusive relationships. It is evident that young migrants’ transitions into the labour market demonstrates their own agency and the important role that their networks can play in providing the finance necessary for travel and to secure work. The experiences of migration vary greatly involving both negative and positive aspects. Their precarious employment situation involves considerable uncertainty and risk, and exploitation by employers and clients. Incomes are low and irregular, which brings additional difficulties in fulfilling daily subsistence needs. Some of these difficulties are mitigated through social networks. These networks are fundamental in the life trajectories of young migrants, right from the time the decision to migrate is taken. However, they are also associated with discrimination and exploitative practices. Findings also reveal that migration offer opportunities for youngsters to see new places, undertake paid work, earn income, save and engage in popular global culture of consumerism and materialism, and sending of remittances to left-behind families. Access to mobile phones facilitates communication with families up north and this helps in maintaining intergenerational relations that are spread across spatial boundaries. Future aspirations of the youngsters centred on desires for better job prospects and greater stability although lack of financial and linking social capital serve as constraints. Overall this study makes an important contribution to the literature by providing new insight on the pathways that migration may be beneficial to young people and their left behind families. The findings suggest that addressing the internal geographical imbalance in development between the north and south is key to tackling the interlinked problems associated with child migration in Ghana. Findings also call for interventions to better strengthen the agency of young migrants in navigating hardships while improving their wellbeing.

This thesis examines the issue of young people and alcohol consumption in order to understand their behaviour and experiences in Thailand. Alcohol consumption is socially accepted as a pleasurable activity in many countries world-wide. Alcohol consumption among young people in Thailand has been affected by the spread of western culture, which has encouraged an acceptance of drinking alcohol as being fashionable and as a means of promoting social relationships. This study aimed to gain detailed knowledge of the alcohol consumption behaviour of secondary school students in Petchaburi Province, Thailand, using a survey and participatory action research to understand the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders in one community towards young people’s behaviour and alcohol consumption. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted in order to explore and interpret students’ and stakeholders’ perspectives. The survey was the first phase of the research and used a questionnaire to identify the characteristics and problems of the alcohol consumption behaviour of 845 secondary school students aged 15-19 sampled from one school in each of the eight districts of Petchaburi Province. Logistic regression was used to select one school for conducting Participatory Action Research (PAR) in one community “C” in phase two of the research. An ecological approach was applied for capturing a variety of perspectives, at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and public policy level using focus groups and in-depth interviews with eight students, eight parents, three health professionals, two teachers, one community leader, one policeman and one Buddhist monk. The study findings demonstrated that alcohol consumption among young people was common. The data showed that 45.9% of participants had had an alcoholic drink in the previous thirty days. Students usually drank on Fridays and Saturdays with their gangs. All or almost all of their close friends were reported as having an alcoholic drink. Most students were affected by peer pressure, some students copied their family members’ drinking behaviour, and some of them were influenced by fashion, community culture and advertising. Moreover, students who drank alcohol demonstrated the negative consequences of drinking. Drinking at an early age was defined by all stakeholders in the selected Community C as unpleasant and intolerable behaviour. Students started to develop strategies in order to access alcohol. Moreover, alcohol was readily available due to the lack of restrictions being enforced in community shops by government policy, alongside inconsistent enforcement of the Alcohol Act. The development of prevention strategies was recommended for action at all levels. This includes within families, in schools, and within affected communities through the introduction of policies such as the restriction of alcohol sales and advertising, and by raising awareness among young people and their communities. Finally, Buddhist practices were discussed as a key element in the development of an intervention programme to reduce the problematic drinking behaviour of young people.

Rising prevalence of child and adolescent obesity worldwide poses a threat to the future health and wellbeing of individuals. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of energy balance and therefore energy intake should help devise dietary strategies conducive to the maintenance of a healthy bodyweight during growth. Indeed, eating habits established during childhood are powerful determinants of future food preferences and choices in adulthood. Appetite for food and calorie-containing drinks is an important driver of energy intake and is modulated by a variety of environmental, psychological and metabolic factors. For instance, macronutrient manipulation and particularly increasing the protein content of meals at the expense of carbohydrates has been previously shown to reduce appetite in adults. Less research has been carried out in children due to methodological limitations. The first study described in this thesis sought to establish whether salivary sampling could be a non-invasive alternative to intra-venous blood sampling for the quantification of an appetite inducing peptide called ghrelin. Chapter 4 describes the dietary habits of a cohort of children (8-10 years old) and adolescents (13-17 years old) with a specific focus on sugar consumption and a comparison of key dietary characteristics with the Scottish Dietary Goals and with data from national dietary surveillance programmes. Subsequently, chapter 5 assesses the effect of protein content and portion size of dairy breakfast drinks in children and adolescents on appetite and caloric intake at an ad libitum snack buffet in a randomised crossover design study. Differences between age groups, nutritional status and genders were examined. Chapter 6 examines the correlations between performance at cognitive tests of executive function and ad libitum snack intake and chapter 7 presents new avenues of research into appetite in children and adolescents.

This thesis investigates how sport is employed in the new media age as mediated sport goes through the liminal phase of new media. Set against the contextual background of recurrent ‘moral panics’ that accompanied each new wave of media innovation, this study aimed to chart young people’s involvement in sport via the use of new media technology. The thesis concentrated on three research issues: access to, uses of, and the displacement effect of new media. Four major forms of new media were included in the study – digital television, the Internet, mobile telephony and video games. The study used a mixed method design of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The data collection was conducted in two phases: survey methods were first used to examine the audience experience of new media sports, and follow-up interviews of young people were then conducted to investigate motives for media choice and the perceived gratifications of new media sport. ‘Uses and Gratifications’ theory was utilised as the theoretical basis for examining user motives. Eight hundred valid responses were obtained from the questionnaire-based survey [a response rate of 94%] and follow-up interviews were conducted with 12 young people [selected purposively among volunteers from the pool of questionnaire respondents]. A key conclusion drawn from this thesis is that the Internet did not displace televised sport. The findings also suggest that the use of new media sport can have positive effects on sport and physical activities participation. Conversely, there was no support for the popular perception that media users participate in sport and physical activities less; many of them were in fact active in the pursuit of sport and physical activities.

MA (Youth in Development) / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Conflicts in intimate relationships causes enormous problems for the well-being of individuals. Young people are particularly vulnerable as they may make bad choices or decisions that may breed conflict in their relationships. This may have far-reaching implications on their well-being. Such conflicts may lead to stress, isolation, violence and suicide among other things. The rate of conflict in intimate relationships has greatly increased among youths. The aim of this study was to explore the contributory factors to conflict in intimate relationships among students at the University of Venda. This study used a qualitative research approach and was exploratory in nature. The study was conducted at the University of Venda, Thohoyandou in Limpopo province, South Africa. The population of the study comprised of University of Venda’s students. Non-probability purposive technique was used for the selection of the study sample. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The interview guide was pre-tested in a pilot study involving the research participants to identify errors in the research questions and to ensure that the data collected would be relevant and as precise as possible. Findings from this study revealed how conflicts are bred in intimate relationships and the ways in which students react and deal with the conflict in intimate relationships. The research recommended that there should be laws enforced to protect the people in intimate relationships.

Syftet med mitt examensarbete är att ge ett bidrag till analysen av ungdomars grundläggande värderingar, genom att undersöka hur elever rangordnar och diskuterar tio instrumentella värden. Undersökningen är utförd med flermetodsforskning, där både en kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod använts, enkät och fokusgrupp. En pilotstudie används för att säkerställa god validitet och reliabilitet. Undersökningen gjordes på 20 ungdomar, tio pojkar och tio flickor, fördelade i tre åttondeklasser i samma skola. Resultatet i undersökningen visar att ungdomar mellan 14 till 15 år anser att familjen, tillsammans med frihet och rättvisa är viktigast av de tio värdena jag undersökt och att det skett vissa förändringar i jämförelse vilka värden som är viktiga idag hos ungdomar jämfört med från SOM undersökningsserie (1986-2000)

No / This book is about Muslims in Europe and the "War on Terror"--its causes and consequences for European citizenship and exclusion particularly for young people. The rising tide of hostility towards people of Muslim origin is challenged in this collection from a varied and multi national perspective. The book illustrates that Muslims are as diverse a group as those of any other religion; therefore to place all Muslims into one category is wholly unscientific and discriminatory. It shows that there are historical and ideological reasons for viewing Islam as a static, unchanging and regressive force. The chapters illustrate the diversity of societies with Muslim majority populations and challenge the dominant paradigm of what has become to be known since the War on Terror as "Islamophobia."