High School-aged Adolescents Research Articles

Method-specific suicide trends from 1979 to 2016 among Japanese adolescents

BackgroundIn 2015 the Japanese government set a target of a 30% reduction in the total suicide rate by 2025, but deaths among adolescents have been rising since. In 2018 the overall suicide rate increased by 33% among Japanese students, as a part of a continued trend of rising suicide among adolescents. This study analysed the trends in method-specific suicide among Japanese adolescents from 1979 to 2016. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using data obtained from the vital statistics registration of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan. Poisson regression analysis was performed among 10–20-year-olds separately by sex, with year, age category, suicide method and a 1998 step variable as covariates. ResultsThere was a sharp increase in suicide rates among boys (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR), 1.68; 95% CI, 1.58–1.77) and girls (IRR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.56–1.84) aged 10–20 years in 1998 when the overall suicide rate in Japan was at its peak. The commonly used method of suicide, hanging, has increased rapidly among high school and university-level aged adolescents since 1998. LimitationsThe computed mortality rates may have been affected by the shift in mortality coding from ICD-9 to ICD-10 in 1995. ConclusionsSuicide among adolescents has been rising since the early 1990s. Several cultural factors such as notoriety of internet suicide and detergent suicide could have influenced the increase in suicide among adolescents. There is an urgent need to address suicide by hanging and gas among high school and university-aged adolescents.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Learning Difficulties during the Covid 19 Pandemic

The purpose of the study was to determine the factors that influence learning difficulties during the Covid 19 pandemic in junior high and high school age adolescents in the Makassar area of ??East Jakarta. The research method used in this study is a qualitative method by analyzing the data from observations and interviews. The analytical technique used in this research is qualitative data analysis. The object of this research is junior high school and high school youth in Makassar, East Jakarta, with a total of 10 informants including 2 junior high school students and 8 high school students. Based on the research conducted, it is identified the factors that influence learning difficulties in the pandemic era in junior high and high school age adolescents in the Makassar area of ??East Jakarta including the difficulty of understanding material through distance learning, low interest in learning, difficult social adjustment, poor health. not good, lack of learning facilities, limited study space, materials

E-Cigarettes and Cardiopulmonary Health: Review for Clinicians.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery powered electronic nicotine delivery systems that use a propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin base to deliver vaporized nicotine and flavorings to the body. E-cigarettes became commercially available without evidence regarding their risks, long-term safety, or utility in smoking cessation. Recent clinical trials suggest that e-cigarette use with counseling may be effective in reducing cigarette use but not nicotine dependence. However, meta-analyses of observational studies demonstrate that e-cigarette use is not associated with smoking cessation. Cardiovascular studies reported sympathetic activation, vascular stiffening, and endothelial dysfunction, which are associated with adverse cardiovascular events. The majority of pulmonary clinical trials in e-cigarette users included standard spirometry as the primary outcome measure, reporting no change in lung function. However, studies reported increased biomarkers of pulmonary disease in e-cigarette users. These studies were conducted in adults, but >30% of high school-age adolescents reported e-cigarette use. The effects of e-cigarette use on cardiopulmonary endpoints in adolescents and young adults remain unstudied. Because of adverse clinical findings and associations between e-cigarette use and increased incidence of respiratory diseases in people who have never smoked, large longitudinal studies are needed to understand the risk profile of e-cigarettes. Consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, clinicians should monitor the health risks of e-cigarette use, discourage nonsmokers and adolescents from using e-cigarettes, and discourage smokers from engaging in dual use without cigarette reduction or cessation.

Development and Pilot Testing of a Food Literacy Curriculum for High School-Aged Adolescents.

Adolescent obesity and poor diet quality are increasingly prevalent and could be mitigated with attainment of food literacy. However, as these programs for adolescents are lacking, the purpose of this project was to develop a food literacy curriculum for high school-aged adolescents. The curriculum was designed in accordance with food literacy attributes and components utilizing Backward Design, Social Cognitive Theory, and Constructivism. After expert committee review, pilot testing was completed in two low-income communities by a trained facilitator and observer. Detailed observations were collected during pilot testing to assess achievement of learning objectives. Modifications were made to lesson procedures as required. The resulting curriculum, Teens CAN: Comprehensive Food Literacy in Cooking, Agriculture, and Nutrition, contains 12 modules of experiential lessons and application activities within three topics. Agriculture lessons concentrate on the food supply chain and food environments; nutrition lessons include food groups while focusing on nutrients of concern for underconsumption; and cooking lessons include food safety, budgeting, and preparation. Teens CAN provides a comprehensive and necessary approach to advancing food literacy in adolescents. Future directions include assessing dietary implications after participating in Teens CAN lessons and employment of an innovative two-tiered cross-age teaching model.

Reliability of five trunk flexion and extension endurance field-based tests in high school-aged adolescents: ISQUIOS programme

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the inter-session reliability of the measures obtained from 2 trunk extension (Biering-Sorensen and Dynamic Extensor Endurance (DEE) tests) and 3 trunk flexion (Ito, Side Bridge and Bench Trunk Curl-Up (BTC) tests) endurance field-based tests in adolescents. A total of 208 (males, n = 100; females, n = 108) adolescents performed all the field-based tests on 2 separate testing sessions, 7-days apart. The inter-session reliability scores were explored through relative reliability, inter-session differences and precision of measurements. Most of the trunk endurance measures demonstrated acceptable relative reliability (the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranged from 0.75 to 0.94). However, significant inter-session differences were identified for measures from the DEE and BTC tests. Likewise, the precision of the measurement of each field-based test was poor (the the standard error of measurement expressed as a percentage of the mean score (CVTE) ranged from 11.3 to 24.4%) with the minimal detectable change (MDC95) revealing that changes higher than 42% for trunk extension endurance tests and 31.4% for trunk flexion endurance tests after an intervention are required to indicate a significant change above measurement error. Therefore, the findings from this study indicate that only the BTC test demonstrates acceptable inter-session reliability (ICC > 0.9, CVTE ~ 10%, MDC95 ~ 30%) to monitor the changes in trunk endurance scores that may be expected in adolescents after performing an intervention programme.

Mothers\u2019 nonstandard work schedules and adolescent obesity: a population-based cross-sectional study in the Tokyo metropolitan area

BackgroundMany wage earners in developed countries have irregular shift patterns and work evenings, nights, and weekends. Some studies have demonstrated that the nonstandard work schedules of parents have adverse effects on their children’s weight, specifically leading to or worsening obesity. However, no such study has been conducted in adolescents of high school age. This study examined the association between mothers’ nonstandard work schedules and adolescent obesity.MethodsA cross-sectional study of adolescents aged 16–17 years (n = 1743) used paired matches of self-administered questionnaires for adolescents and their mothers from Tokyo, Japan. Obesity was defined by International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. Nonstandard work schedules were defined as working early mornings, nights, overnights, or weekends. Chi-square tests were conducted to examine the association between the mothers’ work schedules and their adolescent children’s poor lifestyles, overall and stratified by income levels. Then, logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between mothers’ work schedules and obesity of their adolescent children, overall and stratified by income levels.ResultsOverall, 6.5% of adolescents had obesity. The prevalence of obesity was higher among adolescents from low-middle income groups (8.2%) than that among those from high-income groups (5.9%). No clear patterns were found between mothers’ work schedules and adolescents’ poor lifestyles when stratified by income levels. Mothers’ nonstandard work schedules were significantly associated with adolescent obesity (odds ratio [OR]: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–2.40). However, this association was not significant after adjustment for confounders. After stratification by income levels, mothers’ nonstandard work schedules significantly associated with their children’s obesity (OR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.45–5.92) only in high-income groups. This association remained after adjustment of the adolescents’ lifestyles and their mothers’ working hours.ConclusionsOur results suggest that mothers’ nonstandard work schedules have adverse effects on adolescent obesity only in high-income families. Low-middle income families experienced higher levels of adolescent obesity, regardless of the mothers’ work schedules. Policy makers should consider mothers’ work schedules as a factor in preventing adolescent obesity.

School climate and peer victimization among adolescents: A moderated mediation model of school connectedness and parental involvement

Although research is beginning to examine the association between school climate perceptions and peer victimization, little is known about the mediating and moderating influences on this relationship among high school-aged adolescents. Based on a heuristic model of school victimization and an ecological systems perspective, this study investigated (a) the mediating role of school connectedness in the association between school climate and peer victimization, and (b) the moderating role of parental involvement in the direct and indirect relationships between school climate and victimization. Cross-sectional interview data from 15-year-olds were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which included 3,230 adolescents with an average age of 15.6 years, of whom 51% were male and 71% were Black and Hispanic. Results indicated that school connectedness mediated the relationship between school climate perceptions and peer victimization. Furthermore, the mediating process was moderated by parental involvement. The indirect effect of school climate perceptions on peer victimization, through school connectedness, was stronger for higher levels of parental involvement than lower levels of parental involvement. The findings have important practical implications, which are discussed.

Validity and Reliability of a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for High School–Aged Adolescents

ObjectiveTo determine the validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adolescents. MethodsAn adult questionnaire was administered to 4 high school student convenience samples with and without known prior nutrition education. Questionnaire refinement was determined by item-total correlation, item discrimination, and item difficulty. Mean percentage of correct answers was calculated, and the group difference was assessed using an independent samples t test. A post hoc regression analyzed the association between mean percentage of correct answers and group while controlling for school. ResultsThe questionnaire, with 1 question eliminated, had good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach α = 0.83). The nutrition education group (n = 174) demonstrated significantly (P < 0.0001) higher mean percentage of correct answers compared with the no nutrition education group (n = 136). The association between mean percentage of correct answers and the group remained with school controlled. Conclusions and ImplicationsResults suggest that the questionnaire is valid and reliable for measuring nutrition knowledge in high school–aged adolescents.

Adolescent Suicide, Household Firearm Ownership, and the Effects of Child Access Prevention Laws

This study has 3 objectives: to examine the association between state-level firearm ownership and suicide among adolescents of high school age; to compare the strength of the firearm ownership-suicide association among adolescents relative to adults; and to evaluate the relationship between 11 child access prevention (CAP) laws and suicide. Using an ecological time series cross-sectional design, we modeled suicide rates from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2017, as a function of household firearm ownership and states' implementation of CAP provisions using fixed effect negative binomial models. There were 37,652 suicides among adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 years during the study period, and more than half of all suicides (51.5%, n= 19,402) involved firearms. Each 10 percentage-point increase in states' firearm ownership was associated with a 39.3% (35.1%-43.5%) increase in firearm suicide, which in turn contributed a 6.8% (2.5%-11.1%) increase in all-cause suicide. The association between firearm ownership and suicide was approximately 2 times stronger among adolescents relative to adults. Policies mandating locks and safe storage were associated with a 13.1% (2.7%-22.3%) reduction in adolescent firearm suicide and an unexplained 8.7% (1.2%-15.7%) reduction in non-firearm suicide. CAP provisions were associated with reduced firearm suicide across the lifespan, but effects were stronger among adolescents. There is an increased risk of adolescent suicide associated with household firearm ownership, and safe storage provisions are associated with decreased adolescent firearm suicide.

Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Risk Correlates among Racially-Diverse Urban Adolescents

Background Most research on prescription stimulant misuse has focused on college students, and research on high school-aged adolescents is limited. Objectives This study aimed to characterize risk correlates of prescription stimulant misuse among a racially-diverse and socioeconomically-disadvantaged sample of urban adolescents. Method Cross-sectional data were drawn from an ongoing study of adolescent health behaviors, Project Teen. Participants were 414 9th to 11th graders (M age=16.00 [SD = 1.08]; 57% female; 41% Black or African American, 22% White, 18% Asian, 17% Multiracial, 2% Pacific Islander, and 1% Native American; 12% Hispanic/Latinx). Participants completed a web-based survey assessing prescription stimulant misuse, demographics, mental health and personality, social environment, and substance use. Results Eight percent of participants endorsed past-year prescription stimulant misuse. Compared to non-misusing peers, participants endorsing past-year prescription stimulant misuse reported greater depression/anxiety symptoms, sensation seeking, perceived peer risk behavior, and alcohol and cigarette use, as well as a lower level of parental monitoring; null group differences were observed for academic goal orientation, perceived peer approval of risk behavior, and cannabis use. Binary logistic regression demonstrated that binge drinking and cigarette use were significantly associated with prescription stimulant misuse over and above all other identified risk variables. Conclusions Adolescent prescription stimulant misuse appears to overlap with general adolescent substance use, sharing several known risk correlates. Results highlight potential targets for identification of emerging prescription stimulant misuse risk profiles at earlier stages of development. Longitudinal replication is needed to examine directional associations and risk mechanisms underlying adolescent prescription stimulant misuse.

Association Between Concussion History and Factors Relating to Cognitive, Behavioral, and Emotional Health Among American High School Athletes: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Background: The cognitive, behavioral, and emotional deficits that may be associated with sports-related concussions among adolescents are unclear. Purpose: To examine the association between reported concussion history and factors relating to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional health among a population-based sample of US high school–aged adolescents. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Participants included a representative sample of US high school student-athletes who reported a concussion history (in the past 12 months) and relevant behaviors/outcomes within 3 domains: cognitive (academics, difficulty concentrating), behavioral (drinking and driving, carrying a weapon, physically fighting, tobacco use, marijuana use, binge drinking), and emotional (symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts/actions). The adjusted relative odds of experiencing 0 and at least 1, 2, 3, or ≥4 concussions were modeled while mutually adjusting for the behaviors of interest in addition to age, race/ethnicity, and sleep problems. Data were reported in sex stratum. Results: A total of 13,268 participants were included in the unweighted data set. Overall, 14.5% (95% CI, 12.9%-16.2%) of female and 18.1% (95% CI, 16.4%-19.8%) of male student-athletes had at least 1 concussion in the past 12 months. As compared with those who reported not engaging in any of the behaviors deleterious to health or having had any of the negative health outcomes (composite score of 0), female athletes with composite scores of 1 to 4, 5 to 7, and 8 to 11 were 1.94 (95% CI, 1.55-2.43), 3.13 (95% CI, 2.30-4.33), and 6.05 (95% CI, 3.75-9.75) times more likely to have a recent history of concussions after accounting for relevant factors. As compared with those having a composite score of 0, male athletes with composite scores of 1 to 4, 5 to 7, and 8 to 11 were 2.03 (95% CI, 1.58-2.59), 3.80 (95% CI, 2.71-5.34), and 8.23 (95% CI, 4.91-13.77) times more likely to have a recent history of concussions after accounting for relevant factors. Conclusion: Self-reported concussions among US high school athletes is related to several deleterious health behaviors and outcomes. These associations should be confirmed in longitudinal analyses.

Validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in adolescents.

The study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Indonesian version. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index has never been translated into Bahasa. This study employs a cross-sectional and correlational study. Data were collected from 528 adolescents of junior high school age (13-16 years) during August to September 2014. All participants agreed on the Indonesian version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Beck Depression Inventory-II. Psychometric properties were examined including internal consistency, construct validity and known group validity, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to measure the cut-off point. The Cronbach's alpha for the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Indonesian version was adequate. There were positive correlations between the total score and seven component scores. Construct validity revealed that the total score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Indonesian version was correlated with the total score of the Indonesian version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Known group validity indicated that adolescents without depression risk had better sleep quality. According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off point at a score of 6.5 indicated the best possible relationship of sensitivity and specificity. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Indonesian version has high reliability and validity for screening sleep quality among adolescents.

Weapon Carrying and Mental Health Concerns Among Victims of Cyber-Bullying

Introduction: School violence has recently gained national attention. In several cross sectional studies, weapon carrying was associated with multiple interrelated factors which include demographic, psychosocial, behavioral, and school-related characteristics of high-school age adolescents. This study examined the association between electronic bullying and carrying weapons to school in high school students in the United States. Methods: The data for this cross-sectional study was extracted from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) …

Effectiveness of an educational intervention on health risks of vaping for high school–aged adolescents

ObjectiveThe primary objective of this research was to identify if an educational intervention increased the knowledge of high school adolescents on the social and health risks associated with vaping. The secondary objectives included measuring the prevalence of vaping habits and the attitudes of adolescents on the safety of vaping. MethodsThis research was conducted with adolescents at a single high school. An evidence-based educational intervention was provided on the health risks associated with vaping productsData were collected using a pre- and postsurvey tool. The material presented was targeted on the basis of age and making the information relevant and easy to understand. ResultsA total of 235 participants showed a 14% increase in scores from the pre- to postsurvey, indicating an increase in knowledge (P < 0.001). Gender was not a predictor for vaping behavior, but grade level was. A significantly higher proportion of participants who vaped reported vaping being safer than smoking than those who did not vape (χ2 = 13.31, P = 0.001). The most common reason for vaping was stress reduction. For the participants who reported vaping, the most common reason indicated that would motivate them to stop the use of vaping products was concern regarding the negative impact on personal or family health (n = 43). ConclusionAn educational intervention was successful in improving high school students’ knowledge on the risks associated with vaping. Knowledge on health risk was the most common reported reason for which students would stop vaping.

Assessing Validity and Reliability of a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire with High School-Aged Adolescents

Abstract Objectives To assess validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire originally developed for adults when used with high-school aged adolescents. Methods The nutrition knowledge questionnaire utilized in this study was originally developed for adults and was shown to have content and construct validity as well as internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Two sections of the adult questionnaire, 50 questions total, were administered to adolescents at four high schools: three in California and one in Hawaii. Participants were convenience samples selected by teachers at each school based on known previous nutrition education (n = 174) or no known previous nutrition education (n = 136). Adolescents self-reported their current age and received a $10 gift card for completing the questionnaire. Questionnaire data were assessed for item difficulty, item discrimination with item-total correlation, and construct validity using an independent samples t-test. The overall questionnaire and individual sections were assessed for internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha. Given the difference in nutrition education offered at each site, a post-hoc regression analysis was conducted to assess % correct by group when controlling for school. Results Assessment of item difficulty showed that one question exceeded the suggested 80% threshold, however this question was retained due to acceptable item discrimination. One question was found to negatively correlate with total score and was removed from the questionnaire resulting in 49 questions. The overall questionnaire was shown to have internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.83) as were the individual sections (Cronbach's α &amp;gt; 0.70). The questionnaire also demonstrated construct validity with the adolescents that had known previous nutrition education having a significantly higher mean % correct compared to the adolescents without known nutrition education (P &amp;lt; 0.0001). The significant association between groups and % correct remained when controlling for school (P &amp;lt; 0.0001). Conclusions Results suggests that the questionnaire was shown to reliably assess general nutrition knowledge in high school-aged adolescents with validity. Funding Sources UC ANR, USDA NIFA NNF, USDA NIFA Hatch, Jastro Research Award.

Allergic Disease, Short Sleep Duration, and Suicidal Ideation and Plans Among Korean Adolescents.

The purpose of the study is to identify the relationships between allergic disease, suicidal ideation, and plans among Korean adolescents. Additionally, we examined the mediating role of short sleep duration. We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 12th to 14th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey; the final sample included 164,725 middle school-aged and high school-aged adolescents (mean age = 15.17 years, standard deviation = .13; 51.1% male). Allergic disease was a statistically significant risk factor for suicidal ideation (crude odds ratio [COR] = 1.284, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.246, 1.323]) and suicide plans (COR = 1.165, 95% CI = [1.108, 1.224]). Short sleep duration was a statistically significant mediator (p < .001). We advised school nurses to assess warning signs of poor sleep-including irritability, depression, sleep problems, poor concentration, and poor academic achievement-and that programs be created to improve sleep and mental health in adolescents with allergic disease.

Giving Teens a Boost?

AbstractThis study provides the first quasi-experimental evidence on the effects of nonbinding vaccine recommendations targeted at high school–aged adolescents. Using data from the National Immuniz...

3.51 SOURCES OF MEDICATIONS USED BY CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FOR INTENTIONAL INGESTION: A RETROSPECTIVE CHART REVIEW

Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents, and suicidal ideation is prevalent in high school-aged adolescents. Oregon ranks 17th nationally for youth suicide rates, and ingestion of medications or other substances as a means of suicide is common. Despite the high prevalence of intentional poisoning among youth in Oregon, information about medications used by children and adolescents for attempted suicide—in particular, the sources of medications—is not readily available. This study sought to characterize types and sources of medications used for intentional ingestion among patients seen by the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison (CL) Service.

Parents’ Beliefs about High School Students’ Spatial Abilities: Gender Differences and Associations with Parent Encouragement to Pursue a STEM Career and Students’ STEM Career Intentions

In the present study, we investigated whether parents’ beliefs about their high school aged adolescents’ spatial abilities (i.e., spatial visualization, mental manipulation, and navigation abilities) differed based on their child’s gender. We also examined whether these beliefs related to parents’ encouragement of their child to pursue a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) career as well as students’ actual STEM major and career intentions. Data were collected from 117 pairs of U.S. high school students and one of their parents. We found that parents of young men thought their child had higher mental manipulation and navigation abilities than did parents of young women, even after statistically controlling for adolescents’ actual spatial abilities. Parents who perceived that their child had higher mental manipulation ability were more likely to encourage their child to pursue a STEM career, and those students were more likely to report that they intended to pursue a STEM career. These findings suggest that parents’ beliefs about how good their child is at spatial tasks may be based more strongly on gender stereotypes than on their child’s actual spatial abilities. Helping to make parents aware of these beliefs could be a potential lever of intervention to increase women’s participation in STEM careers.

A systematic review of research on adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use in the United States.

Alcohol use and marijuana use tend to be social activities among adolescents. Some youth use alcohol or marijuana while alone. This article provides a framework for examining the risk factors for and consequences of solitary alcohol and marijuana use, grounded in a motivational model that emphasizes coping with negative emotions, and provides the first systematic review of research on solitary alcohol and marijuana use among middle school- and high school-aged adolescents in the United States. PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched. Articles were included if they mention solitary alcohol or marijuana (or illicit drug) use among adolescents aged 12-18years. Studies on non-human animals, college students, non-English language publications and articles exclusively about solitary tobacco or inhalant use were excluded. Overall, 22 articles were selected. Prevalence of adolescent solitary alcohol and marijuana use was relatively high (e.g. 14% life-time solitary drinking in the general adolescent population), particularly in high-risk subgroups (e.g. 38.8% life-time solitary drinking in a sample of youth recruited from clinical and community settings). Risk factors for solitary alcohol and marijuana use include earlier onset and heavier use, coping motives, negative emotions and positive expectancies about use. Solitary alcohol and marijuana use are prospectively associated with later substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms, diminished academic performance and perceived health. Approximately 1 in 7 adolescents in the US appear to have engaged in solitary alcohol and marijuana use at some point. It is positively associated with extent of drinking and marijuana use, cop;ing motives, negative emotions, and positive expectancies, as well as subsequent SUD symptoms and poor academic and health-related outcomes.