Healthy High School Students Research Articles

The effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism on adolescent activity and rest rhythms, circadian preferences and attentional performance

BackgroundVariations in circadian regulating mechanisms generate different individual preferences in respect of sleep and activity timing, which are known as chronotypes. In this sense, specifically during adolescence, there is a greater tendency for an eveningness chronotype. One factor that has been shown to have an impact on circadian rhythm patterns, as well as on some aspects of cognitive function, is the relatively common Val66Met (rs6265) polymorphism in the human brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on the performance of adolescents in attentional tests, circadian preferences and activity-rest rhythm. Methods85 healthy high school students completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire to assess their circadian preferences; were evaluated using the Psychological Battery for Attention Assessment; and were categorized as carriers and non-carriers of the rs6265 polymorphism using the TaqMan rt-PCR technique. A subsample of 42 students had their activity/rest rhythm recorded by actigraphy for nine days from which sleep parameters were estimated. ResultsCircadian preference did not affect attentional performance (p > 0.1), but the time that the students attended school had an impact on all types of attention with morning shift students scoring higher, regardless of chronotype (p < 0.05). The presence of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was associated only with alternate attention performance (p < 0.05). Regarding actigraphy evaluation, the carriers of the polymorphism demonstrated significantly higher total time in bed, total sleep time, social jetlag, and earlier sleep onset. ConclusionsThe results indicate some degree of adaptation in the students' attentional performance, according to their school schedules. The presence of BDNF polymorphism demonstrated a counterintuitive impact on attentional performance, comparing to previous findings. The findings reinforce the effect of genetic traits on sleep-wake rhythm parameters, when objectively evaluated.

Remote Implementation of a Health Promotion Program in an Underserved High School during COVID-19: Lessons Learned

Background: This study examined the impact of remote implementation of a school-based health promotion program on health beliefs and behaviors of adolescent participants from an underserved high school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: As part of the program, Family Medicine residents trained healthy 10th grade high school students from a vulnerable community in California to become health coaches for family members with diabetes. Five of eight onehour weekly sessions were delivered remotely after shelter in place was mandated. Students completed online pre and post-participation surveys including questions on health beliefs and behaviors and experience with remote learning. We explored factors associated with the likelihood of attending the remote classes, and we used paired T-tests to compare pre-and post-scores of health beliefs and behaviors, and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions to assess differences between those who completed in person sessions only and those who attended remote sessions. Results: 45 participants completed pre-surveys and 26 of those completed postsurveys. 14 of those 26 attended remote program sessions. The 14 who attended the additional remote sessions demonstrated significant improvements in health mindsets (belief that body has self-healing properties p=.045; belief that illness is an opportunity p=.028); consumption of fruits and vegetables (p=.054); consumption of sugary drinks (p=.047); understanding of how to improve their health (p=.055); and frequency of talking about health with their families (p=.057). Participants who did not attend remote sessions did not show significant improvements in these areas. Non-attendees were more likely to be Hispanic and male. Conclusions: These findings suggest that remote health promotion programs could support the health and well-being of adolescents in underserved communities. Yet, more research is essential to ensure all adolescents can participate.

Retinal vessel shift and its association with axial length elongation in a prospective observation in Japanese junior high school students.

PurposeTo investigate retinal vessel shift (RVS) and its association with axial length (AL) elongation in junior high school students.MethodsTotal 161 eyes of 161 healthy junior high school students were prospectively studied. Optical AL and anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurements, and fundus photography were performed in the first and third grades. Eyes of subjects in the first and third grade that had perfect matching among all the retinal vessels were allocated to the RVS(−) group, otherwise allocated to the RVS(+) group. In the RVS(+) group, the peripapillary retinal arteries angle (PRAA) was measured for quantitative analysis of RVS; the angle between the major retinal arteries. The variables related to PRAA were identified using model selection with the corrected Akaike information criterion.ResultsForty-two eyes (26.1%) were allocated to the RVS(+) group. There were seven patterns in the RVS of those in the RVS(+) group, including clockwise shift in the supra temporal area (5 eyes), infra temporal area (7 eyes), and nasal area (9 eyes); anticlockwise shift in the supra temporal area (7 eyes), infra temporal area (5 eyes), and nasal area (2 eyes); and distal shift in the temporal area (7 eyes). The optimal model for the PRAA narrowing included larger AL and body weight in the first grade, and greater AL elongation.ConclusionVarious (seven) RVS patterns were observed in about 25% of the junior high school students within two years. RVS was associated with AL elongation, and useful to reveal the mechanism of myopic retinal stretch.

Thermal Comfort in School Classes in the Era of Global Warming: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

We investigated adolescents' feelings of thermal comfort during the educational process in various geographical locations far apart and present recommendations for the adjustment of the thermal environment in schools. The prospective international multicenter study took place in 8 locations on different continents. The survey in the form of a questionnaire was carried out among 2800 healthy high school students. The study was divided into "cold season survey," "warm-season survey," and heat wave survey. The statistically significant difference between the "cold season survey" score of 4.04 (discomfort) and "warm-season survey" score of 3.47 (slight discomfort) (p=.04) indicates that students feel more thermal discomfort during winter months in all 8 locations. The heat wave survey score was 4.53 (discomfort). During the cold season, 29.24% of high school students felt themselves in full thermal comfort and 76.48% of the students felt themselves relatively comfortable (slightly cool-comfortable-slightly warm). Even during the ongoing process of climate change, the cold season discomfort remains the main problem for students in classes. This tendency is present in different continents as a universal problem. We recommend keeping an entrance hall and classroom temperatures at different levels and to advise students about proper clothing.

Sports participation volume and psychosocial outcomes among healthy high school athletes

We assessed the association between hours/week of sports participation and psychosocial outcomes among high school athletes. We hypothesized that more hours of participation would be associated with the lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Participants completed the Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Profile 25 quality of life and other questionnaires to assess sports participation, socioeconomic status, and health history. We evaluated the multivariable relationship between hours/week in sport and PROMIS scores while adjusting for the independent effect of age and varsity team status. A total of 230 high school athletes participated in this study (mean=15.4±1.2 years of age). More hours/week playing sports were significantly associated with the lower levels of depressive symptoms (coefficient=-0.073, 95% CI=-0.137, -0.010; P=0.02). Sports participation was not significantly associated with any other psychosocial domain scores on the PROMIS questionnaire. More hours of sports participation were significantly associated with the lower depressive symptoms, but no other psychosocial domain. While our findings are cross-sectional, sport participation may play a role in attenuating symptoms of depression in high school athletes. Sports participation may play a beneficial role in lessening depressive symptoms among healthy high school students.

Neurostructural correlates of optimism: Gray matter density in the putamen predicts dispositional optimism in late adolescence.

Dispositional optimism reflects one's generalized positive expectancies for future outcomes and plays a crucial role in personal developmental outcomes and health (e.g., counteracting related mental disorders such as depression and anxiety). Increasing evidence has suggested that extraversion is an important personality factor contributing to dispositional optimism. However, less is known about the association between dispositional optimism and brain structure and the role of extraversion in this association. Here, we examined these issues in 231 healthy high school students aged 16 to 20 years (110 males, mean age = 18.48 years, SD = 0.54) by estimating regional gray matter density (rGMD) using a voxel‐based morphometry method via structural magnetic resonance imaging. Whole‐brain regression analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between dispositional optimism and the rGMD of the bilateral putamen after adjusting for age, sex, family socioeconomic status (SES), general intelligence, and total gray matter volume (TGMV). Moreover, prediction analyses using fourfold balanced cross‐validation combined with linear regression confirmed a significant connection between dispositional optimism and putamen density after adjusting for age, sex, and family SES. More importantly, subsequent mediation analysis showed that extraversion may account for the association between putamen density and dispositional optimism after adjusting for age, sex, family SES, general intelligence, TGMV, and the other four Big Five personality traits. Taken together, the current study provides new evidence regarding the neurostructural basis underlying dispositional optimism in adolescents and underscores the importance of extraversion as an essential personality factor for dispositional optimism acquisition.

Gender Differences in Subjective Well-Being of Healthy High-School Students

Summary The objective of this study was to analyse the level of subjective well-being (SWB) through five SWB dimensions and compare it between healthy male and healthy female high school students preferring sedentary leisure time activities. The research sample comprised of 90 male high school students (mean age 16.72 ± 1.33) and 126 female high school students (mean age 16.71 ± 1.36) who preferred sedentary types of leisure time activities with self-reported good health status. A standardized The Bern Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire for Adolescents (BFW) was used as a primary research method. We found significantly higher level of positive SWB dimension (U = 4281, p = 0.002, r = 172) and significantly lower level of negative SWB dimension (U = 2835, p = 0.000, r = 424) in the group of male high school students with self-reported good health status in comparison to female high school students. Parents should be involved in the selection of their children's leisure time activities, so it should not have only the sedentary character but also sport leisure time activities, mainly among young girls.

Effects of Increasing Balance Task Difficulty on Postural Sway and Muscle Activity in Healthy Adolescents.

Evidence-based prescriptions for balance training in youth have recently been established. However, there is currently no standardized means available to assess and quantify balance task difficulty (BTD). Therefore, the objectives of this study were to examine the effects of graded BTD on postural sway, lower limb muscle activity and coactivation in adolescents. Thirteen healthy high-school students aged 16 to 17 volunteered to participate in this cross-sectional study. Testing involved participants to stand on a commercially available balance board with an adjustable pivot that allowed six levels of increasing task difficulty. Postural sway [i.e., total center of pressure (CoP) displacements] and lower limb muscle activity were recorded simultaneously during each trial. Surface electromyography (EMG) was applied in muscles encompassing the ankle (m. tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, peroneus longus) and knee joint (m. vastus medialis, biceps femoris). The coactivation index (CAI) was calculated for ankle and thigh muscles. Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant main effect of BTD with increasing task difficulty for postural sway (p < 0.001; d = 6.36), muscle activity (p < 0.001; 2.19 < d < 4.88), and CAI (p < 0.001; 1.32 < d < 1.41). Multiple regression analyses showed that m. tibialis anterior activity best explained overall CoP displacements with 32.5% explained variance (p < 0.001). The observed increases in postural sway, lower limb muscle activity, and coactivation indicate increasing postural demands while standing on the balance board. Thus, the examined board can be implemented in balance training to progressively increase BTD in healthy adolescents.

Beneficial Effects of Acute Exercise on Executive Function in Adolescents.

Background: Evidence supports that a single session of exercise has benefits for cognitive performance following exercise. Although the vast majority of research has been conducted with young adults, very few studies to date have tested these effects in adolescents (high school aged students). As executive function (EF) develops through late adolescence and into young adulthood, it is important to assess the extent to which acute exercise benefits EF in adolescents. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the effect of moderate-intensity acute exercise on subsequent EF performance in this population. Methods: Healthy high school students (N = 22; age: 15.90 [0.29]y) volunteered to participate in the study. Using a within-subjects design with order of conditions randomized and counterbalanced, participants performed the Stroop Test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, and the Tower of London Test following control and following exercise with sessions performed on different days. Results: Exercise resulted in significant benefits for Stroop Color, Stroop Color-Word tests, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Tower of London total moves, and Tower of London total excess moves. Conclusions: These results provide an important extension to the literature by confirming that 20 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise benefits EF performance in high school students.

Strengthening Adolescent Wellbeing project—Qualitative outcomes from a pilot in a Swedish upper-secondary school

While a majority of Swedish school children enjoy a good health, mental health problems are increasing among young people in Sweden. According to Swedish law all school staff members (teachers and student health professionals) have mutual responsibility to provide a safe school environment and health. Since 2010, there is an emphasis on health promotion in schools. The aim of this study is to qualitatively describe the feasibility of a health-promoting intervention targeting healthy high school students (the Strengthening Adolescent Wellbeing [SAW] project). A descriptive design was used with an intervention group that was assessed before and after the implementation of the programme using quantitative methods. The study was based on the Medical Research Council Framework. The study and the data collection were performed during the autumn of 2016 and the early spring of 2017. Public high school students' health professionals (school nurses), student counsellors and specialist educators, facilitated a research-based intervention consisting of eight sessions with education and mind-body practices. Pre- and post-testing were carried out. The main findings showed that participating students and staff members were satisfied that the content and the implementation of the intervention were meaningful.

Ocular residual and corneal astigmatism in a clinical population of high school students.

PurposeTotal refractive astigmatism is usually the first consideration that guides the selection of contact lens type (e.g., spherical or toric), while the ocular source of the astigmatism is a second, but more important consideration, for the final clinical decision. This study was conducted to provide detailed data on this topic by evaluating astigmatic components in Chinese adolescents.MethodsParticipants were recruited from healthy high school students undergoing an annual ocular examination at a local hospital. Total astigmatism (TA), corneal astigmatism (CA), and ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) were determined by a Hartmann-Shack wavefront analyzer system (KR-1W, Topcon) with the natural pupil. The axis relationship between CA and ORA was placed into three categories: on-axis, defined as an axis with a difference of 0 ± 10°; opposite-axis, a difference of 90 ± 10°; and the rest defined as oblique-axis.ResultsThe study consisted of 1,466 students (57.84% girls, age: 16.49 ± 1.05 years). ORA was present in 83.97%, 66.64%, and 45.23% of participants, according to the various criteria for astigmatism (≥ 0.50 D, ≥ 0.75 D, and ≥ 1.00 D, respectively). While with-the-rule was the most common axis orientation for both TA (76.28%) and CA (89.94%), against-the-rule predominated in ORA (93.82%; χ2 = 1688.544, p < 0.001). Opposite-axis was the major type of axis difference (90.96%) of clinical significance (i.e., ≥ 1.00 D) between CA and ORA, which also prevailed in all levels of TA (range: 56.25–82.26%).ConclusionsORA is common in high school students and usually demonstrates a compensation relationship with CA, which should be taken into consideration when determining the design of contact lenses to correct refractive error.

Namaste to Wellbeing? The Effect of Yoga on the Health of African American High School Students

This study examined the potential psychological and physiological benefits of yoga for African American high school students who attended a rigorous college preparatory program. We hypothesized that yoga exercises would improve perceived stress levels, lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, and increase blood oxygen saturation. Our sample consisted of twenty-two students who participated in yoga or track (the control), with eleven in each group. The yoga group was a pre-existing afterschool program, while the track control group was matched as closely as possible to the yoga group by gender, age and blood pressure levels. We measured the perceived stress, resting heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen saturation levels prior to the first class and after the last class. We found that the perceived stress levels of yoga participants decreased 13% compared to the control group, which only decreased 1%; however, this was not a statistically significant difference. There were no significant differences between or within the groups’ resting heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Our results suggest that yoga does not have a significant effect on healthy high school students, possibly due to a lack of motivation among participants, although the generalizability of our findings are limited by the small sample size.

A health promotion intervention strengthening Swedish high school students' wellbeing: A feasibility study

The majority of Swedish school children enjoy a general good health. Still, mental health problems are increasing among young people in Sweden. According to Swedish law all school staff members (teachers and student health professionals) have mutual responsibility to provide a safe school environment and health. Since 2010, there is an emphasis on health promotion in schools. The aim of this study is to describe the feasibility and pilot outcomes of a health promoting intervention targeting healthy high school students (the Strengthening Adolescent Wellbeing [SAW] project). A descriptive design was used with an intervention group that was assessed before and after the implementation of the programme using quantitative methods. The study was based on the Medical Research Council Framework. The study and the data collection were performed during the autumnof 2016 and the early spring of 2017. Public high school students' health professionals, that is school nurses, student counselors and specialist educators, facilitated a research-based intervention consisting of eight sessions with education and mind-body practices. Pre- and post-testing were carried out. The main findings showed enhanced levels of wellbeing among the participating students and the student-related measures all showed improvements. The intervention seems to have been feasible in this context. Findings from this study indicate that the SAW methodology contributed to an improvement in high school students' wellbeing. The study will provide a base for a full-scale evaluation study intended to evaluate the effect of this health-promoting programme.

Prevalence of GERD Symptoms in Healthy High School Students

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common in adults. Population based studies on adolescent GERD are limited. GERD symptoms in adolescents may be associated with food allergies, asthma, cigarette smoking or stress among other possible associations. The GERD-HRQL questionnaire has been shown to be a validated screening tool for GERD symptoms and severity. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of GERD in healthy high school students and its relationship to gender, BMI and type of school. Methods: The GERD-HRQL questionnaire was distributed to all high school students at two schools in the DFW area; one public and one private school. All students were in the 9th to 12th grade. Students were included in the anonymous survey if they returned the questionnaire. Data collected included demographics, height, and weight in addition to the survey questions. Utilization of statistical analysis on GERD-HQRL Questionnaire responses. Results: Completed surveys were returned by 287 students with 138 from the private school and 149 from the public school. The breakdown of the student group by gender was 160 females (56%) and 127 males (44%) and by race was 138 Whites (48%), 35 Blacks (12%), 41 Hispanics (14%), 42 Asians (15%), 28 mixed race (10%) and 3 with ethnicity left blank. The median age was 17 and median BMI was 22.1 with a range of 14.4 to 43.4. On the GERD-HRQL question regarding the severity of the heartburn, 69 students (24%) indicated some degree of heartburn. The majority of these students indicated their heartburn was not occurring daily and was either not bothersome or only somewhat bothersome, 30 (10%) and 24 students (8.4%), respectively. Fifteen students (5%) indicated were either bothersome daily, interfered with daily activities, or were incapacitating. A higher percentage of students with a BMI ≥25 reported GERD symptoms compared to those with BMI < 25, 56% and 28%, respectively. There was no relationship identified between GERD symptoms and gender, race or type of school. Evaluation for the presence of GERD symptoms revealed that 97 students (34%) had at least 1 symptom. Students indicating ≥3, ≥4, or ≥5 GERD symptoms were 30(10%), 24 (8%) and 9 (3%), respectively. Regarding current use of a medication for heartburn 19 students (7%) answered that they were taking a heartburn medication. Conclusion: The GERD-HRQL questionnaire was useful in identifying high school students with more severe GERD symptoms with a prevalence of 8%. The only characteristic that was identified as related to an increased the risk of GERD symptoms was a higher BMI. Once adolescents have been identified with GERD symptoms, the GERD-HRQL questionnaire can be used to monitor changes when treatment is initiated.

Is daytime napping associated with inflammation in adolescents?

Daytime napping has been associated with poor health outcomes in adults. It is not known whether daytime napping is similarly linked to adverse health in adolescents, although many report napping. The present study evaluated associations between daytime napping and 2 markers of increased inflammation, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 (IL-6), in healthy high school students. Two hundred thirty-four Black and White high school students completed a week of actigraph and diary measures of sleep and napping and provided a fasting blood sample. Napping measures were the proportion of days napped and the average minutes napped across 1 week during the school year. Linear regressions adjusted for age, sex, race, average nocturnal sleep duration, time between sleep protocol and blood draw, and body mass index percentile demonstrated that proportion of days napped measured by actigraphy, B(SE) = .41(.19), p < .05, across the full week was positively associated with IL-6. Higher proportions of school days napped between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., B(SE) = .40(.20), p < .05, and between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., B(SE) = .57(.28), p < .05, were associated with increased IL-6. No associations emerged between average actigraphy-assessed nap duration and either study outcome. Diary-reported napping was unrelated to either study outcome. Actigraphy-assessed napping and IL-6 are associated but the direction of the relationship remains to be determined. Overall, napping is an important factor to consider to better understand the relationship between short sleep and cardiovascular health in adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record

Temporal Relationships Between Napping and Nocturnal Sleep in Healthy Adolescents

Many adolescents do not achieve the recommended 9 hr of sleep per night and report daytime napping, perhaps because it makes up for short nocturnal sleep. This article tests temporal relationships between daytime naps and nighttime sleep as measured by actigraphy and diary among 236 healthy high school students during one school week. Mixed model analyses adjusted for age, race, and gender demonstrated that shorter actigraphy-assessed nocturnal sleep duration predicted longer napping (measured by actigraphy and diary) the next day. Napping (by actigraphy and diary) predicted shorter nocturnal sleep duration and worse sleep efficiency that night measured by actigraphy. Diary-reported napping also predicted poorer self-reported sleep quality that night. Frequent napping may interfere with nocturnal sleep during adolescence.

Influence of Extracurricular Physical Training on High School Girls’ Bone Density and Bone Metabolism Index

objective: to discuss the influence of extracurricular exercise on high school girls' bone density and bone me- tabolism. Method: choose 60 healthy high school students as the research objects, then divide them into exercise group and control group. Employ the Japan MODULAR automatic biochemical analyzer and Enzyme-labeled meter (S200) made in America Thermo Company to test the bone metabolism index; employ the lunar prodigy dual X-ray absorptiome- try to measure bone density. Results: among the students of exercise group, their bone density of ward triangle, trochanter and lumbar L2 are higher than that of control group (P<0.01), mean density of hip femoral neck of these two groups has no statistically significant deference; the serum calcium, phosphorus concentration and BGP mean are higher than that of reference group((P<0.01), ALP is also higher than that of control group (P<0.05), tartrate resistant acid phosphatase mean is slightly lower than that of the reference group (P<0.01). Conclusion: long-term extracurricular exercise can effectively improve high school girls' bone density and bone quality, and is conductive to improve their bone metabolism.

Facilitated acquisition of standard but not long delay classical eyeblink conditioning in behaviorally inhibited adolescents

Adolescence is a key age in the development of anxiety disorders. The present study assessed the relationship between behavioral inhibition, a risk factor for anxiety typified by avoidance, and acquisition of the classically conditioned eyeblink response. 168 healthy high school students (mean age 15.7 years, 54% female) were given a battery of self-report measures including the Adult Measure of Behavioural Inhibition (AMBI). The study compared acquisition of three experimental training conditions. Two groups were given paired CS–US training: standard delay of 500-ms or long delay of 1000-ms with CS overlapping and co-terminating with a 50-ms airpuff US. A third group received unpaired training of 1000-ms CS and 50-ms airpuff US. Inhibited individuals showed greater acquisition of the conditioned eyeblink response in the 500-ms CS condition, but not in the paired 1000-ms condition. No differences in spontaneous blinks or reactivity to the stimulus were evident in the 1000-ms unpaired CS condition. Results support a relationship between associative learning and anxiety vulnerability that may be mediated by cerebellar functioning in inhibited individuals.

Sleep duration during the school week is associated with C-reactive protein risk groups in healthy adolescents

BackgroundThe prevalence of short sleep duration in adolescence and the relevance of early risk factors to cardiovascular disease in adulthood suggest that adolescence is an opportune time to evaluate links between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease risk. We examined associations among actigraphy-assessed sleep duration and sleep debt with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. MethodsParticipants were 244 (56% Black, 48% male) healthy high school students, each of whom wore wrist actigraphs for one week and provided a fasting blood draw. CRP was examined as both a continuous and categorical outcome, with CRP >3 mg/L identifying a High Risk Group. ResultsSleep duration and sleep debt were significantly associated with CRP High Risk Group in covariate-adjusted analyses. Shorter sleep duration on school nights was associated with a greater likelihood of being in the High Risk CRP Group. Likelihood of being in the High Risk CRP Group was doubled in students who obtained an average of two or more hours of “catch up” sleep on weekend nights. ConclusionsReduced weekday sleep duration and sleep debt were both associated with CRP Risk Group in adolescence. That these relationships may be observed prior to the onset of clinical disease suggests that adolescence may provide an opportune period for disease prevention.

Sleep in healthy black and white adolescents.

Inadequate sleep among adolescents has negative consequences for self-regulation, emotional well-being, and risk behaviors. Using multiple assessment methods, we evaluated the adequacy of sleep among healthy adolescents from a lower socioeconomic community and expected differences by race. A total of 250 healthy high school students enrolled in public school (mean age: 15.7 years; 57% black, 54% female) from families of low to middle class according to the Hollingshead scale participated in weeklong assessments of sleep duration and fragmentation, assessed by using actigraphy; sleep duration and perceived quality, assessed by using daily diaries; and daytime sleepiness and sleep delay, assessed by using a questionnaire. Students slept during the school week a mean ± SD of 6.0 ± 0.9 hours per night according to actigraphy and 6.8 ± 1.1 hours according to daily diary, and during the weekend, a mean of 7.4 ± 1.2 and 8.7 ± 1.4 hours, respectively. Black participants and male participants slept less and had more fragmented sleep; female participants reported poorer quality of sleep in their daily diaries and more daytime sleepiness. The results remained significant after adjustments for age, physical activity, smoking status, and percentile BMI. Most students slept less than the 8 to 9 hours suggested by the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black male participants had the least amount of sleep, which may play a role in the substantial risks experienced by this demographic group. Our findings are consistent with recommendations that pediatricians should routinely screen their adolescent patients about their sleep, especially those from at-risk subgroups.