Public School Adolescents Research Articles

Cross-sectional survey of health literacy among high school students in Armenia

Abstract Background We assessed the level of health literacy (HL) and explored its predictors among 15-17 years old adolescents in Armenia. Methods We conducted a survey among adolescents in public and private schools in the capital Yerevan and an adjacent province in 2023. The instrument included items on HL, general interest in health and socio-demographics. Ten questions measuring HL with four answer options were summed into the HL score (0-30). Multivariable regression model explored the independent associations of socio-demographic factors and interest in health issues with the HL. Results Overall, 366 students completed the survey. About 64% were females. The majority were interested in health issues (80.7%). Most participants felt they, in general, received sufficient health information (75.1%), could follow physician’s instructions (80.1%), were confident in advising family or friends on health improvements (70.5%), could easily give examples of health-promoting actions (76.8%), and explain their choices for health (77.6%). Additionally, 82.2% could judge the environmental impact of their actions, 82.0% could find understandable health information when needed, and 85.3% could assess how their behavior affects their health. Fewer respondents were confident in figuring out if the health information is correct (68.2%) or identifying correct health information when faced with conflicting data (67.1%). The average HL score was 17.41 (SD = 4.47), with a 58.0% percent score. In the regression analysis, being from private school vs. public and being interested in health vs. not were significant predictors of higher HL. Conclusions Despite having moderate HL level, a significant portion of Armenian adolescents lacked confidence in discerning correct health information. Interventions should prioritize enhancing HL, emphasizing critical evaluation skills and providing accessible and reliable health information resources tailored to adolescents, particularly in public schools. Key messages • The health literacy among Armenian adolescents was moderate with many lacking confidence in identifying correct health information and differentiating when faced with conflicting data. • Attending a private school and having an interest in health were significant predictors for higher health literacy, emphasizing the need for targeted health and policy interventions.

Effect of a context-specific health education intervention on knowledge of health risk behaviors among adolescents in Nigerian public and private secondary schools: a comparative study.

Health education programmes that utilizes multicomponent classroom teaching strategies have the potential to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and actions of adolescents concerning health risk behaviors (HRBs). This study assessed the effect of a school-based context-specific health education intervention (CsHEI) on knowledge of HRBs among in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Nigeria. In-school adolescents were recruited into this quasi-experimental study using stratified random sampling from secondary schools in Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria. Knowledge of HRBs was assessed pre- and post-implementation of a CsHEI. The intervention was a four-week instructor-led health education class on HRBs, delivered over a 2-h class activity per week. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics as well as Inferential statistics. With a mean age of 14.9 ± 1.56 years, a total of 145 females (54.3 %) and 122 males (45.7 %) participated in this study. Over 70 % of the participants had good knowledge of HRBs prior to the intervention with the pre-test mean general knowledge of HRB (t=-3.13, p=0.002) and knowledge of personal safety (t=-2.99, p=0.003) being significantly lower between students in public-schools compared to their private-school counterparts. Post-intervention, a significant improvement in participants' knowledge was observed in all HRB domains with over 90 % of participants having a good knowledge of HRBs. The CsHEI improved knowledge of in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Osun state, Nigeria in all domains of HRBs. Integrating the CsHEI with other health behavioral change strategies can mitigate prevalence of HRBs among adolescents, thereby improving health-outcomes and well-being of adolescents.

The post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression among adolescents of public high schools: a cross-sectional study

The post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression among adolescents of public high schools: a cross-sectional study

Overweight and obesity and associated factors among public and private secondary school adolescent students in Harar city, Eastern Ethiopia: A comparative cross-sectional study.

Adolescent overweight and obesity are growing public health concerns in developing nations like Ethiopia. They are closely linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, a deterioration in health-related quality of life, subpar academic performance, and a decline in social and emotional well-being. There is, however, little research in this field. Thus, this study aimed to assess overweight and obesity and associated factors among public and private secondary school adolescent students in Harar city, Eastern Ethiopia. A school-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 781 secondary school adolescents in Harar city from February to March 2022. Multi-stage sampling was used to identify 781 study participants (586 in public and 195 in private schools). Anthropometric measures and self-administered structured questionnaires were used to obtain the data. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the association between independent variables and overweight and obesity. Statistical significance was declared at P < .05. The overall magnitude of overweight and obesity was 9.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.2-11.4%] with 16.2% in private schools. Being female [adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.17-3.55], late adolescent age [AOR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.90], bigger family size [AOR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31-0.97], high paternal education level [AOR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.08-3.81], eating meat [AOR = 3.41, 95% CI: 1.27-9.17] and not consuming breakfast daily [AOR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.24-3.67] were factors associated with overweight and obesity among all secondary school adolescents. A high maternal educational level, not eating breakfast and dinner daily in private secondary school adolescents and having a feminine gender, eating eggs, and not walking or riding a bicycle for at least 10 minutes continuously in public secondary school adolescents were factors associated with overweight and obesity. The extent of overweight and obesity was notably higher in the study area. Communities and educational institutions should work together to promote healthy lifestyle choices among adolescents, with a special emphasis on girls and students enrolled in private schools.

School Location and School Ownership as Determinant of School Going Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Behaviour in Yenagoa Educational Zone of Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The study examines school locality and school ownership as determinants of adolescents’ risky sexual behaviour in Yenagoa Educational Zone of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Two research questions were raised to guide the study as well as two hypothesis were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed descriptive design. This design was used because the paper made use of a self-designed and structured questionnaire titled School Locality and School Ownership on Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire (SLSOARSBQ). The instrument was validated by two experts and yield a reliability coefficient of 0.86. The population of the study comprised of all school going adolescents both in public and private secondary schools in Yenagoa Educational Zone of Bayelsa State, Nigeria, with a total population of 8,939 in all the 35 public schools and 3,848 in all the 29 private schools. The simple random sampling technique was adopted to select a total of five public and five private schools in Yenagoa Educational Zone with a total sample size of 400 school-going adolescents. The instrument was distributed with the aid of two research assistants who were briefed. 395 questionnaires were retrieved indicating 99% response and subjected to analysis using mean and standard deviation for answering the research questions. The spearman rank was adopted in analysing the stated hypotheses. From the analysis, the study found out that school locality and school ownership had significant relationship with adolescents’ risky sexual behaviour in Yenagoa Educational Zone of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school counsellors should work with community organizations to provide school-going adolescents with access to resources such as contraceptive and counselling that can support their sex health.

Bullying and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms Among Adolescents of Public Schools in Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Bullying is a frequent, yet sometimes dismissed dynamic in school-aged youth, despite all the literature around its prevalence and detrimental effects. Around the world, prevalence estimates have demonstrated wide variability. In Colombia, between 22% and 49.9% of adolescents have experienced bullying. Much research on school bullying has focused on perpetrators and those victimized; less is known about those who witness it. The main objective of this cross-sectional study of 1224 Colombian public high school students was to determine if there is an association between the different types of involvement (victims, aggressors, witnesses) in bullying and the presence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We measured individual sociodemographic factors, types of involvement in bullying, the presence of PTSD symptoms, and levels of family dysfunction. We found that verbal abuse was the most frequent behavior reported. Also, a high proportion of PTSD symptoms among victims, witnesses, and aggressors were identified. In the logistic regression analysis, presence of PTSD symptoms was associated with subjects identified as social victims (OR = 2.067; CI = 1.381– 3.095), verbal victims (OR = 2.779; CI = 1.599–4.828), victims by coercion (OR = 4.038; CI = 1.710–9.532), social aggressors (OR = 1.974; CI = 1.355–2.919), and in those with severe family dysfunction (OR = 3.372; CI = 1.744–6.520). Additional research is needed in the Colombian population to identify and explore appropriate options for prevention and intervention in those most vulnerable to bullying.

Diet quality and snack preferences of Turkish adolescents in private and public schools.

Socioeconomic level is one of the important factors determining diet quality. Snack preferences are affected by socioeconomic level. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of socioeconomic levels on diet quality and snack preferences among adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The study involved 118 adolescents aged between 10-18 years residing in Istanbul. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers was used to obtain information on the adolescents' dietary habits, consumption of main meals and snacks, habits, and food consumption records. The participants' food consumption was assessed using the retrospective 24-hour recall method, and diet quality was evaluated using the calculated nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) and mean adequacy ratio (MAR). The mean age of the adolescents was 16.42±0.89 years. The number of snacks consumed in private schools was found to be higher than in public schools (p < 0.05). The NAR score for vitamin C consumption was significantly higher in private schools compared to public schools (p < 0.05). Although the MAR scores of adolescents in private schools were higher than those in public schools, this difference was not statistically significant. The majority of adolescents in private schools regularly consumed fresh fruit (67.2%), milk (60.3%), yogurt (60.3%), and nuts (56.9%) as snacks. In contrast, 45% of adolescents in public schools regularly consumed pastries (p < 0.05). It was observed that adolescents studying in public schools had a lower tendency to prefer healthy foods for snacks compared to those in private schools. Socioeconomic level was identified as an important factor influencing eating habits during adolescence. Considering that the level of income is significantly different between the adolescents studying at private and public schools, the higher consumption of snacks by the adolescents studying at private school may be associated with higher income.

PARENTING STYLES AS CORRELATES OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

The study investigated parenting styles as a correlates of teenage pregnancy among adolescents in public secondary schools in Enugu State. Four research questions guided the study and four null hypotheses were tested at a .05 level of significance. The correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 9,974 senior secondary school two (SS II) female adolescent students, in the 292 public secondary schools in Enugu State. A sample of 996 female adolescent students was drawn for the study through a multi-stage sampling technique. Structured questionnaires titled Parenting Styles Questionnaire (PSQ) and Teenage Pregnancy Questionnaire (TPQ) were used for data collection. The instrument was face and construct validated by three experts; while the construct validation was ascertained using the Varimax Rotation Method. Internal consistency coefficients of 0.89, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.86; 0.92, and 0.89; were obtained for PSQ and TPQ respectively, using Cronbach Alpha statistical method. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression statistics were utilized for data analysis. The p-value was used to determine the significant difference at a .05 level of significance for all hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that there was a low positive significant relationship between authoritative parenting style and teenage pregnancy. The result also showed that there was a high positive significant relationship between authoritarian parenting style and teenage pregnancy. It was equally found that there was a highly positive significant relationship between permissive parenting style and teenage pregnancy. Finally, the result indicated that there was a very high positive significant relationship between neglectful parenting style and teenage pregnancy. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that the school management and parents should ensure that the home and school environment are well protected to shield the children from exposure to negative influences, by being concerned about the well-being of the girl child through education about sex, sexuality and the danger inherent. Social welfare agencies (public and private) should re-double their efforts in educating, counselling, and rehabilitation of victims of teenage pregnancy.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/lit/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Using the Socio-ecological Model to Explain the Findings of Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption among Adolescents in Public Schools in Uganda

INTRODUCTION: Consumption of alcohol among the youth could be attributable to socio-demographic characteristics. This paper anchors on the socio-ecological model to expound on the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of alcohol consumption among adolescents in public secondary schools. Specifically, the model was used to explore gender, religious affiliation, form or class of study, social media use, friendships, and involvement in places of entertainment as possible predictors of alcohol consumption. METHOD: Within the framework of the socio – ecological model, we employed a cross-sectional survey with quantitative methods to explore socio - ecological covariates of alcohol consumption among the youth in public secondary schools. The sample comprised 1819 participants, yielding a 91.8% response rate. Males were relatively more numerous (59.3%), and the mean age was 17.3 (SD = 1.9). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to deduce the association of selected demographics with the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol consumption was generally high. Multivariate logistic regression showed a significant gender difference in the consumption of beer and spirits. Females had lower odds of consuming beer and spirits. Students in the Muslim and Pentecostal dominions were less likely to consume beer, wine, and spirits than their Roman Catholic and Anglican counterparts. Students in the Roman Catholic dominion had higher odds of consuming any type of alcohol compared to other religions. Loving to be in places of entertainment and the use of social media significantly predicted the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. CONCLUSION: These results could bear importance in demanding benchmarking of ecologically specific advocacy against alcohol consumption in schools. Further, results imply that youth drinking regulatory frameworks may be inclusive of the alcohol industry, including not only the producers of alcohol but also a large network of distributors, wholesalers, bars, and advertisers. Interventions for in-school youth drinking may need to be developed by benchmarking with and involving institutions at different levels of the ecological model, such as religious institutions, healthcare services, media, and the village councils.

Using the Socio-ecological Model to Explain the Findings of Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption among Adolescents in Public Schools in Uganda

INTRODUCTION: Consumption of alcohol among the youth could be attributable to socio-demographic characteristics. This paper anchors on the socio-ecological model to expound on the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of alcohol consumption among adolescents in public secondary schools. Specifically, the model was used to explore gender, religious affiliation, form or class of study, social media use, friendships, and involvement in places of entertainment as possible predictors of alcohol consumption. METHOD: We employed a cross-sectional survey with quantitative methods. The sample comprised 1819 participants, yielding a 91.8% response rate. Males were relatively more numerous (59.3%), and the mean age was 17.3 (SD = 1.9). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to deduce the association of selected demographics with the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol consumption was generally high. Multivariate logistic regression showed a significant gender difference in the consumption of beer and spirits. Females had lower odds of consuming beer and spirits. Students in the Muslim and Pentecostal dominions were less likely to consume beer, wine, and spirits than their Roman Catholic and Anglican counterparts. Students in the Roman Catholic dominion had higher odds of consuming any type of alcohol compared to other religions. Loving to be in places of entertainment and the use of social media significantly predicted the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. CONCLUSION: At the multivariate level, some socio-ecological factors could account for differential alcohol consumption among the students. Individual student-level factors such as gender and the institutional factor of religion could explain alcohol consumption among the students. Specifically, gender and religion were significantly associated with alcohol consumption. It is recommended that ecological differences and “gendered models” are considered as part of the interventions for in-school youth drinking.

Using the Socio-ecological Model to Examine Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption among Adolescents in Public Schools in Uganda

INTRODUCTION: Consumption of alcohol among the youth could be attributable to socio-demographic characteristics. This paper anchors on the socio-ecological model to expound on the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of alcohol consumption among adolescents in public secondary schools. Specifically, the model was used to explore gender, religious affiliation, form or class of study, social media use, friendships, and involvement in places of entertainment as possible predictors of alcohol consumption. METHOD: We employed a cross-sectional survey with quantitative methods. The sample comprised 1819 participants, yielding a 91.8% response rate. Males were relatively more numerous (59.3%), and the mean age was 17.3 (SD = 1.9). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to deduce the association of selected demographics with the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol consumption was generally high. Multivariate logistic regression showed a significant gender difference in the consumption of beer and spirits. Females had lower odds of consuming beer and spirits. Students in the Muslim and Pentecostal dominions were less likely to consume beer, wine, and spirits than their Roman Catholic and Anglican counterparts. Students in the Roman Catholic dominion had higher odds of consuming any type of alcohol compared to other religions. Loving to be in places of entertainment and the use of social media significantly predicted the consumption of beer, wine, and spirits. CONCLUSION: At the multivariate level, some socio-ecological factors could account for differential alcohol consumption among the students. Individual student-level factors such as gender and the institutional factor of religion could explain alcohol consumption among the students. Specifically, gender and religion were significantly associated with alcohol consumption. It is recommended that ecological differences and “gendered models” are considered as part of the interventions for in-school youth drinking.

Nutritional Status of Adolescents in Public and Private Secondary Schools in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

This study aimed to compare the nutritional status of adolescents in private and public secondary schools in Asaba, Delta State. A cross-sectional analytical design was conducted among 282 adolescents from private day, private boarding and public secondary schools, selected by multistage sampling technique. Anthropometrics measures and socio-demographic characteristics data were collected using pretested questionnaire. Using WHO-reference-2007, height, BMI and weight-for-age were measured for stunting, wasting and underweight respectively and BMI-for-age for overweight and obesity. The collected data were entered in to Microsoft Excel and exported to SPSS for further statistical analysis. Chi-square test at 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to quantify independent variables of nutritional indices. The mean age of the students in public, private day, and private boarding schools were 14.28±2.79, 13.54±2.24, and 14.04±2.53 years, respectively. The prevalence of stunting, thinness, underweight, normal weight and overweight among public school participants was 31, 35, 29, 71, 0% respectively; that of private day school participants was 34, 45, 29, 63, 9%, respectively whereas that of private boarding school participants was 39, 47, 23, 61, 16%, respectively. These differences in the underweight and obesity were statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). Statistical analyses revealed significant associations (p&lt;0.05) between socioeconomic levels and underweight, highlighting the vulnerability of adolescents from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The influence of poverty on stunting was particularly pronounced within private boarding schools. The result also showed that there was no significant association between thinness, stunting, underweight and eating patterns among adolescents in all school types, however, significant association were observed for overweight. Thus, nutrition interventions to improve nutritional status of the adolescents through providing comprehensive nutritional assessment and counseling services at community, school, and health facility levels, and creating household’s income-generating activities are recommended before they reach conception to break the intergenerational cycle effect of malnutrition.

Trauma Informed Interventions and Academic Adjustment among Adolescent Students in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

Globally, the problem of escalating incidences of trauma among adolescents has adversely affected their physical, behavioral, emotional and psychological functioning hence impairing their quality and ability to adjust in school. The purpose of this study was to establish the effectiveness of trauma informed interventions and academic adjustment among adolescents in public secondary schools in Kisii County. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method design. The study targeted a population of 1100 students from which 275 students were sampled through simple random and purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, Focused Group Discussions, in-depth interviews and academic adjustment scale. Both descriptive and inferential techniques were employed to analyze quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results from Pearson Correlation coefficient affirmed a positive statistically significant nexus (n=.732, n= 275, p&lt;.0.05) between trauma informed interventions and academic adjustment. The qualitative data findings further affirmed that trauma informed interventions enhance academic adjustment and resilience among adolescents. The study concluded that effective adoption of trauma informed interventions are critical in coping with academic adjustment levels among adolescents.

Prevalence and factors associated with internet addiction among adolescents in urban public schools – A cross-sectional study from an internet de-addiction center in South India

Background: The Internet has become an integral and indispensable part of the life of every human being. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and the factors associated with internet addiction (IA) in adolescents in urban public schools in South India. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study done in one boy’s and one girl’s school, in an urban area and included all the children from 8th to 12th standards from January 2023 to March 2023. The study tool used was Chen’s IA scale (CIAS). Internet usage was broadly classified into three categories: 1: Social networking and gaming, such as Facebook, 2: Chat/messenger services such as WhatsApp, and 3: Streaming applications such as YouTube. Data were analyzed statistically using Statistical Package for the Social Studies Version 26.0. Results: On analysis of CIAS scores, the prevalence of IA was 7.95% (n=692). A significantly higher number of boys had IA than girls (P=0.008). On analysis of the body mass index, a significantly larger number of overweight participants were observed in adolescents with IA. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding age (P=0.13) or socioeconomic class (P=0.66). Usage of social networking sites/gaming was associated with significantly higher CIAS scores (P=0.003). Although the usage of the internet for streaming and chatting purposes was common, they were not associated with higher scores. Conclusion: IA is taking on new dimensions and is seen across all socioeconomic classes. Periodic screening, adequate treatment, and follow-up are important in nurturing physical and mental health of adolescents.

Basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices among school adolescents of rural area, Indore: A comparative study

Background: Young teens are more vulnerable to a variety of infections, particularly teenage girls if they don't take care of their hygiene. The reason of conducting studies in schools is as they spend more than one third of their lifetime in school. School environment, supply of potable water, etc. impact on healthy development. Material and methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in the field of RHTC practice at Indore Medical College from February to April 2019. A structured pro- forma that included questions about basic sanitation, water and hygiene practices, is used to gather data from teenagers studying in public and private schools. 200 students from public schools and 200 private schools in Grades 6 to 10 were selected by Quota Sampling to compare WASH practices among themselves. Results: The majority of teenagers in private schools have good levels of personal hygiene 58.3% compared to public schools 41.7%. Standards of personal hygiene increased with age. The majority of 95% of teenagers used drinking water sources in the private sector as opposed to adolescents in public schools. In the study, 73% of private schools had separate washrooms for girls and boys, compared with 89.5% of public schools. Nearly all washrooms in private schools were clean, compared with 40% in public schools. Bins were available in 67% of adolescents in private schools, compared with 34% of adolescents in public schools. Handwashing practices were found to be satisfactory among teens at both schools. Conclusion: Following the launch of the Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, overall WASH practices are enhanced. Practices among teenagers in private schools were found to be satisfactory, but improvements were also observed in public schools. Most of the time, teenagers miss school for lack of core WASH practices.

Adolescents' mutual acculturation attitudes and their association with national self-identification in three Swiss cantons.

Acculturation is a mutual process, meaning that members of minority as well as majority groups acculturate and thus experience cultural and psychological changes when having intercultural contact. This study assessed mutual acculturation attitudes in the school context through a four-dimensional measurement examining attitudes toward (1) migration background students' heritage culture maintenance and their (2) dominant culture adoption, (3) majority students' intercultural knowledge acquisition, and (4) schools' intercultural contact endorsement. Acculturation attitudes are commonly analyzed through minority and majority perspectives; however, the ways in which researchers categorize group members can differ significantly from how those members self-identify. This matters particularly for adolescents because they explore group identities and belongings. So far, adolescents' mutual acculturation attitudes have not been studied in relation to national self-identification measures. The current study addressed this research gap by analyzing mutual acculturation attitudes in relation to how strongly adolescents self-identify as (1) being Swiss, (2) having a migration background, and (3) the interaction of the two. The sample consisted of 319 adolescents in public secondary schools in three German-speaking cantons in Switzerland (45% female, Mage = 13.60 years, range 12-16). Latent profile analyses resulted in three distinct mutual acculturation profiles. The first is a mutual integration profile (n = 147, 46%), where minority and majority adolescents and schools are expected to integrate. The second is a multiculturalism profile (n = 137, 43%), with slightly lower expectations in all dimensions. The third is a cultural distancing profile (n = 33, 10%), which places particularly low expectations on majority adolescents and schools. Through an analysis of variance and a multiple logistic regression, those in the cultural distancing profile were found to identify significantly stronger as not having a migration background compared to those in the mutual integration profile. Thus, students having separation expectations toward minority students and non-involvement expectations toward schools and majority students are more likely to self-identify as not having a migration background than students having mutual integration expectations.

Is Greater Social Support from Parents and Friends Related to Higher Physical Activity Levels among Adolescents?

Increasing physical activity levels during adolescence have been put on the agenda by several researchers. This study verified the association between social support from parents and friends and different amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescents in public school. The present study had a cross-sectional design and included a representative sample of 1984 adolescents (aged 15-17). The ASAFA (Apoio Social para prática de Atividade Física para Adolescentes) scale and the QAFA (Questionário de Atividade Física para Adolescentes) were used to determine social support and physical activity, respectively. For statistical analysis, a conceptual model for structured equations and weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted were applied. Social support from parents increased the odds of engaging in 180 min/week of MVPA by 46.7%, 47.8% for 300 min/week, and 45.5% for 420 min/week. Social support from friends showed similar relations trends: 23.8% for 180 min/week, 23.6% for 300 min/week, and 21.2% for 420 min/week. Social support from parents and friends increased the probability of adolescents reaching the amounts of physical activity investigated. The results indicate that greater social support (from parents and friends) was associated with a higher level of MVPA in Brazilian adolescents.

PEER SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS, AS CORRELATE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS’ SEXUAL RISKY BEHAVIOURS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Adolescence is an important developmental period when they get involved in sexual activities with their peers, which have the tendency to expose the parties involved to risky sexual behaviours. This study investigated peer sexual behaviours as a correlate of secondary school adolescents’ sexually risky behaviours in Anambra State. One research question guided the study, while one null hypothesis was formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The design for the study was correlational survey research. The sample comprised 1,200 students drawn from a population of 19,048 SS2 adolescents in public secondary schools. A standard instrument, the "Adolescent Sexual Behaviour Index," developed by Hansen, Paskett, and Carter (1999), was used for data collection. The internal consistency reliability coefficient for the instrument was 0.86. Data was collected through direct delivery of the instrument to the respondents and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The research question was answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients, while the null hypothesis was tested using a t-test for significant correlation. The findings of the study revealed that there is a low positive relationship between sexual behaviour and sexual risk behaviours among public secondary school students in Anambra State. The findings further revealed that the relationship existing between peer sexual behaviour and sexual risk behaviours of secondary school adolescents in Anambra State is significant. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that school management set up school health programmes that can help young people adopt lifelong sexual behaviours that support their health and well-being, including behaviours that can reduce their risk for HIV and other STDs. KEYWORDS: peer, sexual behaviours, sexual risky behaviours, adolescents, correlate

Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (PPLA-Q) for Adolescents: Validity and Reliability of the Psychological and Social Modules using Mokken Scale Analysis.

We examined the construct validity and reliability of the previously developed Psychological and Social modules of the Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (PPLA-Q) using Mokken Scale Analysis in a sample of 508 Portuguese adolescents in public schools in Lisbon. We used a retest subsample (n = 73) to calculate the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. Eight PPLA-Q scales can be interpreted as moderate-to-strong Mokken scales (H = .47-.66) with good total-score reliability (ρ = .83-.94), and moderate-to-excellent test-retest reliability (ICC95%CI = .51-.95); four scales had an interpretable invariant item ordering. All but the Physical Regulation scale functioned similarly across sex. Scale-scores correlated as expected, with low-to-moderate correlations across domains supporting convergent and discriminant validity. These results support the construct validity and reliability of the PPLA-Q to assess the psychological and social domains of physical literacy in Portuguese adolescents (15-18years) enrolled in physical education.

Knowledge and Experience of Sexual Violence among Female Adolescents in Public Schools in Enugu State during the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Sexual violence among female adolescents is a pervasive problem. This is even worse in periods of unrest such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which heighten the vulnerability of these female adolescents’ victims to the potential perpetrators of sexual violence. This study assessed the knowledge and experience of sexual violence amongst female adolescents in public schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three hundred twenty-five adolescents (aged 10–19 years with a mean age of 12.8 ±2.8) female school students were purposively recruited in this cross-sectional study to complete a scale designed to measure the knowledge and experience of sexual violence among female adolescents. Findings showed a high (90.8%) knowledge level of sexual violence among adolescents. The majority of the perpetrators were their uncles (40.4%) and cousins (28.6%). Among 9.8% of the participants who had forced to have sex, about two-thirds (65.6%) have been raped 2 to 5 times. A significant difference was noted only between the respondent’s class levels and their knowledge of sexual violence (p < .05) with higher classes having better knowledge. Female adolescents showed a good knowledge level about sexual violence, which might explain the low prevalence of sexual violence in the sample population. The study also provides evidence that females are most at risk of sexual violence from closer relations during times of crisis. Thus, these study findings add evidence to the literature that would guide policymakers, health, and social workers toward making campaigns and interventions that would prevent female adolescent sexual violence.