High School Youth Research Articles

“Competitive” Food and Beverage Laws and Obesity Among Diverse Youth in California High Schools

PurposeTo investigate associations between the California “competitive” food and beverage (CF&B) laws and overweight/obesity (OV/OB) among high school youth by gender, school-neighborhood income, and race/ethnicity, and to examine racial/ethnic OV/OB disparities before and after CF&B policies. MethodsUsing an interrupted time series design paired with retrospective cross-sectional Fitnessgram data from 3,565,260 youth-level records on ninth-grade students in California public schools, we estimated gender, school-neighborhood income, and racial/ethnic OV/OB prevalence trends before (2002-2007) and after the CF&B policies were in effect (2008-2012). ResultsIn the period before the CF&B policies, OV/OB prevalence increased annually among the majority of subgroups regardless of gender, school-neighborhood income and race/ethnicity. In the period after the policies took place, OV/OB increased at a slower rate, plateaued or declined. Changes in log odds of OV/OB trends ranged from −0.03 to −0.07. In the period before the CF&B policies, OV/OB disparities widened between African American and Latino versus White males within each school-neighborhood income tertile; afterwards, disparities ceased to increase or slightly narrowed. DiscussionThe California CF&B laws for high schools are associated with favorable trends in youth OV/OB. This is the first study to examine these associations among multiple socio-demographically diverse high school youth simultaneously considering gender, school-neighborhood income and race/ethnicity. The degree to which observed changes in OV/OB trends are attributable to CF&B policies is unclear. Nevertheless, the results suggest that strengthening CF&B policies may help further reduce OV/OB among youth of different genders and ethnicities in schools across neighborhoods of varying income levels.

Enhancing stroke knowledge among youth: Insights from Stroke Busters

IntroductionCommunity stroke education has shown promising results with sustained stroke knowledge and behavioral changes; however less is known about the effects of targeted education towards youth. We developed an interactive educational program for high school students, Stroke Busters, that focuses on stroke prevention, recognizing warning signs, and the importance of seeking prompt care. MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study where students are offered a stroke education program, ‘Stroke Busters’, through the Yale Pathways to Science Program, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) pipeline program for high school students living near New Haven, Connecticut. Students filled out a stroke knowledge survey before, after, and 8-months-post program. Data from four separate sessions were collected (two 5-day programs and two 1-day programs) and scores were compared. Students who returned to help teach were also evaluated with an additional post-test. ResultsThe average pre-program score was 36.9% and post-program was 62.5% (N=67, p<0.001) across all sessions. Between sessions, scores were not significantly different. 8-month post-program scores (n=5) were not significantly different from immediate post-program scores. Students in the role of teaching-assistant had post-program scores of 85.7%. DiscussionHigh school students who participated in Stroke Busters retained stroke knowledge for up to 8 months. The 1-day program showed similar results to the 5-day program, which suggests providing shorter programs to high school students may represent a more feasible opportunity for community stroke prevention. Additionally, including students in a teaching role is a promising way to increase enthusiasm and stroke knowledge for youth. ConclusionStroke Busters was successfully able to educate high school youth about stroke and programs of both 1 and 5-day are equally effective.

The PELATIHAN MICROSOFT OFFICE WORD BAGI ANAK-ANAK DAN PEMUDA KEBUN TULI YOTORO, SENTANI, KABUPATEN JAYAPURA

Abstract Community service aims to provide knowledge for children and youth in the introduction and how to use Microsoft Office Word in order to improve their personal skills both towards college and the world of work. This service was carried out in three stages including introduction to Microsoft Office Word software, practice in using Microsoft Office Word, question and answer session. This training activity as a form of community service was carried out in June 2024 and was aimed for elementary to high school level and youth in Kebun Tuli Yotoro, Sentani, Jayapura Regency, and involving Samdhana Institute, lecturer from FMIPA and Faculty of Engineering, lecturer from Ottow Geissler University Papua, students from FMIPA Uncen. Keywords : Training, Microsoft Office Word, Kebun Tuli Yotoro.

Leveraging epistemic data agency with data visualizations to bridge the gap between data trends and personal experiences

Purpose While designing personally meaningful activities with data technologies can support the development of data literacies, this paper aims to focuses on the overlooked aspect of how learners navigate tensions between personal experiences and data trends. Design/methodology/approach The authors report on an analysis of three student cases from a design study in which middle and high school youth assembled family migration stories using data visualization technologies with socioeconomic and demographic data. The authors used interaction analysis to examine how students responded to misalignments they encountered between their families’ experiences and data trends in their models, drawing on the theoretical construct of epistemic data agency. Findings This case analysis demonstrates ways in which students enacted epistemic data agency. Instructional support can help students deepen inquiry and avoid certain pitfalls, such as encoding data in unsound or misleading ways to support a particular story, while encouraging students to see themselves as an epistemic authority on par with data. This study opens pathways for future research that considers how data can shape personal narratives and how students can leverage their experiences in the stories they tell with data. Originality/value The authors introduce the construct of epistemic data agency to describe the conceptual and material practices that reveal and shape students’ relationships to the data. The descriptions of students enacting epistemic data agency in assembling data stories informs the understanding of how to better elevate and recognize students’ efforts in relation to disciplinary norms and support deeper, meaningful student learning with and about data.

Exploring the Association between Socioeconomic Environment, Eating Habits and Level of Nutrition in Children of High School Age: A Part of National Survey.

One of the raising public health problems in the adolescent population is obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The aim of this work is to determine the prevalence of obesity in the population of children of secondary school, age 15 to 19 years in Serbia and the determinate connection with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their eating habits and physical activity. The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 15-19 and over were used. The association of overweight with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was examined using binary regression. In the univariate model, male gender (OR = 1.95), younger age (OR = 1.57) and Region of Vojvodina (OR = 2.47) stood out as significant predictors of overweight, which was confirmed by the multivariate model. The results of our study emphasize that the prevalence of obesity in the population of high school youth is at a significant level and that a lot more needs to be done to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of their benefits on health status.

Concussion Awareness Training Tool for Youth: Impact on Concussion Knowledge, Beliefs, and Reporting Intentions.

Concussion education is recommended to increase concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions. The Concussion Awareness Training Tool for Youth (CATT-Youth) is a 40-minute e-Learning module developed for high school-aged youth. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions in high school youth from Calgary, Canada, following completion of the CATT-Youth. This study used a modified stepped-wedge trial design. High school classes were randomly assigned to an intervention (Ix) or delayed intervention (DIx) group. Ix group participants completed a pre-CATT survey immediately followed by the CATT-Youth, then a post-CATT survey 2 to 6 weeks later. DIx group participants completed two pre-CATT surveys 2 to 6 weeks apart, with the CATT-Youth completed immediately following the second pre-CATT, then a post-CATT survey 2 to 6 weeks later. The pre-/post-CATT survey encompassed 11 subtests evaluating concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions. Independent mixed linear regression models were conducted to examine changes in scores for each subtest. Participants included 454 high school students: five Ix schools (16 classes, n = 323) and two DIx schools (six classes, n = 131). The CATT-Youth significantly increased general concussion knowledge, Ix δ = 0.546/8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.243, 0.849]), DIx δ = 0.728/8 (95% CI = [0.389, 1.106]), and beliefs about capabilities, Ix δ = 2.462/28 (95% CI = [1.086, 3.838]), DIx δ = 3.219/28 (95% CI = [1.594, 4.844]) for both groups. For some subtests, improvements were noted in the DIx group only. The CATT-Youth module improved concussion knowledge and beliefs about capabilities for students in both groups. Future studies should explore the utility of the CATT-Youth in changing knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions in high school students.

Art, AI and Robotics: A New Pathway for Youth to Voice and Identity

To address the critical lack of representation in computer science and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics), we designed learning experiences for high school youth using culturally situated art and design principles structured to increase authentic engagement, particularly for underrepresented and underestimated youth. Referencing sociocultural practices from hip-hop, we invited students to engage with us in an iterative process of storytelling, creation, and fabrication. Through design cyphers, we centered student knowledge to define the why behind making robotic prototypes and address the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence such as bias and stereotypes. By integrating cyphers into the design thinking process, we created spaces for students to communicate, collaborate, and create innovative solutions to prototype, iterate, remix, and advance to their final project. In collaborative peer reviews and gallery walks, the groups received constructive critiques at each step of the design process, from prototype to final project.

Development Of A Suite Of Attitudinal, Behavioral, And Contextual Measures To Assess Child Sexual Exploitation

The lack of child sexual exploitation (CSE) measures for high school youth hinders research to inform the development and evaluation of CSE prevention and response efforts. The purpose of the current study was to describe the development (via community-based participatory processes), descriptive statistics, and psychometric properties of a suite of instruments to assess CSE attitudes and behaviors for high school personnel and youth. Study results provide initial evidence of validity (i.e. face validity, internal consistency, factor structure) for the suite of measures. Implications for measurement refinement and use of instruments for program development and evaluation are discussed.

Parent perceptions of school relationships: Considerations of racial-ethnic differences and youth's peer victimization.

Literature has highlighted that social relationships at school are essential to school success, yet few studies have examined this construct from parents' perspectives. Even less research has explored perceptions of social relationships in the school among parents whose children are bullying victims and potential racial-ethnic differences in the perceptions. Using self-report data from 3,261 parents of middle and high school youth, this study used multilevel analyses in which parents were nested in their child's schools and examined parent perceptions of school relationships (including Child-School Connectedness, Parent-School Connectedness, School Outreach and Involvement, and Culture of Inclusiveness and Equity) in the context of youth victimization and whether these perceptions varied by the parent's racial-ethnic background. Results showed that compared with parents whose child was not a bullying victim (63.5%), those whose child was victimized (36.5%) had poorer perceptions of school relationships and that this difference was more pronounced in some racial-ethnic groups (e.g., Asian and Black) than in others (e.g., White, bi- or multiracial). These findings underscore the importance of addressing ethnic heterogeneity in how parents evaluate school-based social relationships in the context of peer bullying to effectively engage racial-ethnic minoritized parents of victimized youth in culturally responsive school bullying interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Creating Spaces of Engagement: Exploring High School Youth’s Voices in Reshaping the Social Justice Curriculum

The current structure of formal education makes it difficult for teachers and students to hold meaningful conversations to support high-school youth’s meaning-making of critical social-justice issues. This paper presents data on three high-school youth’s knowledge and experiences with social justice issues during the pandemic. Specifically, the paper aims to explore how youth construct knowledge and counter dominant discourses through utilizing informal learning spaces, such as social media platforms, peer and family conversations, as well as personal encounters. In addition, and more importantly, an exploration of how formal education can incorporate social-justice issues into the curriculum is considered. The analysis of these high school youth’s interview conversations presents their diverging needs to learn about social-justice topics in both formal and informal learning contexts. The data also illustrates the power of their voices in a way that could inform future curriculum development. Discussions and implications highlight the possibility of creating such ethical spaces in formal education to engage in social-justice topics.

PREVALENCE OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ŽUPANJA

Introduction: The use of psychoactive substances is a serious and difficult problem in many countries of the world, and is taking on epidemic proportions, especially in the youth population. Disorders caused by the psychoactive substance useinclude a wide range of disorders. Experts are finding it increasingly difficult to monitor the possible consequences that drugs can cause in the human body.Aim: To examine the prevalence of the psychoactive substance useamong high school students in Županja. Respondents and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during May 2023. The first group of respondents consisted of 115 students of the third and fourth grades of the Županja Grammar School, while the second group consisted of 100 students of the third and fourth grades of the Županja Vocational School. The research instrument was a standardised internationally agreed questionnaire "European Research in Schools on Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Pupils" (2011). European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Results: A statistically significant number of respondents has never used cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, adhesives and other solvents. Respondents fromthe Vocational School used cigarettes on a larger scale daily, while Grammar school students started smoking at an older age. In the last 12 months, when compared to the Vocational School students, a higher percentage of Grammar School students have used adhesives and other solvents. Grammar School students experimented with"drugs" in a higher proportion due to curiosity. Conclusion: The prevalence of the psychoactive substance use among high school youth in Županja is at a satisfactory low level.Keywords:psychoactive substances, students, secondary school

Reading in Relation: Youth Mentors and Adults Co-Constructing Teaching and Learning in a High School Literacy Classroom

Most schools operate as hierarchical structures, where adult stakeholders largely dictate what counts as knowledge and how to teach it. While previous scholarship has documented the promise of youth-led initiatives to trouble hierarchical structures, these explorations tend to occur outside of schools and do not typically account for the kinds of changes in relations between youth and adults necessary to disrupt hierarchical structures from within. Using third-generation cultural-historical activity theory as our theoretical framework, in this study we explore the shifts in subject-subject relations that emerged as high school youth literacy mentors, their teacher, and university researchers participated in iterative processes of co-configuration to open up new possibilities for literacy learning at their public school. We examine how youth mentors and adults co-designed and co-taught the Literacy Mentorship Class (LMC) while increasingly engaging contradictions as double binds within the Literacy Mentorship Debrief (LMD). We trace how evolving subject-subject relations in the LMD contributed to shifts in divisions of labor, rules, objects, and mediating artifacts in and beyond the LMC. Ultimately, we propose debriefs as a set of reflective practices to facilitate future possibilities for co-configuration among youth and adults that can be responsive to the particularities of any school community.

"The things I see from here, you don’t see from there": Promoting multicultural awareness in a diverse society by intercultural encounters in two museum spaces

Encounters with artworks in museum spaces are interactive processes that interweave physical, personal, and sociocultural contexts. This qualitative case study addresses an additional context – a multicultural one – in examining the impact of two contemporary art museum spaces associated with different cultures on the emerging awareness of multiculturalism in intercultural encounters. The study examines a “Multicultural Museum Dialogue” course attended by Palestinian-Arab and Jewish-Israeli undergraduate students of art and art education in college in Israel. Trained in co-teaching bilingual instruction, the college students led Palestinian-Arab and Isreli-Jewish high school youth in artwork encounters at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art (Jewish-Israeli majority culture) and the Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery (Palestinian-Arab minority culture). Analysis of twelve semi-structured interviews with students of both groups indicated that both characterized the museum space as fertile ground for intercultural encounters and diverse interpretive discourse that raised multicultural awareness as well as a universal human perspective. This effect was most powerful at the Umm al-Fahm Art Gallery, visited second. Nevertheless, additional training appears needed to further expand students’ multicultural awareness. Following Banks' (2009) and Chin’s (2013) five dimensions of multicultural education and art education, this research suggests a sixth – learning in diverse cultural spaces. To enhance cultural awareness, we recommend developing multicultural educational curricula that include joint active learning in cross-cultural spaces (e.g., art museums), focusing on physical egalitarian encounters and interpersonal and intergroup dynamics that consider power relations.

PENERAPAN SIKAP DAN MANTRA SEMBAHYANG DALAM PENGUATAN SPIRITUALITAS PADA SISWA PASRAMAN DHARMAGITA BLIMBING KARANGNONGKO KLATEN

The community service activities carried out at the Dharmagita temple intend to hold a "vidyota pasraman" with the theme "Implementation of religious dharma in Dharmagita pasraman", namely education and short training aimed at Hindu youths packaged in the form of an pasraman with the quantum learning method, which will be filled with learn about daily mantras and how to apply them in daily life. At this Pasraman, participants will also be given training on good and correct prayer attitudes that may not be obtained in formal education at school. Therefore according to the theme that is being carried out, this pasraman can produce quality Hindu youths and can strengthen Sradha and Bhakti Hindu youths so that they can further advance Hinduism in Klaten Regency. This Pasraman teaches early childhood and elementary school children at the Dharmagita Blimbing Pasraman about simple mantras, good and correct prayer attitudes, teaches middle and high school youth about the Kramaning Worship Mantra and good and correct prayer attitudes. With this pasraman, Dharmagita pasraman students can better understand and be able to practice mantras and prayer attitudes well.

The e-cigarette assessment for youth-Revised (EAsY-R): Preliminary results of a pilot study of measure refinement via cognitive interviewing.

The prevalence of youth vaping has, in a relatively short time, become an "epidemic." In the wake of such labeling by the Surgeon General, a number of important examinations of vaping have been conducted. These have largely focused on high school and college-age youth as this demographic shows the greatest prevalence of use. Nonetheless, no measure has been made available which might allow for the comprehensive assessment of quantity and frequency of vaping among this age group, thus aiding in standardization across settings. The current study utilized cognitive interviews with high school and college-age youth who use vaping devices to inform the preliminary development of such an assessment. The sample consists of eight students between the ages of 15 and 24 (Mage = 18.75, SD = 2.73, 62.5% female, 75.0% Hispanic/Latino/a/x, 100.0% White). Interviewing and measure refinement were conducted in a two-phase iterative fashion. Suggestions made during cognitive interviews resulted in the refinement of assessed content type, updated categories and pictures of vaping devices, as well as updated and age-relevant terminology. Further, instructions were streamlined, and assessment items and multiple-choice options were refined to maximize clarity and to minimize participant confusion. The result of this study, the E-Cigarette Assessment for Youth Revised, is a unique tool for standardizing examinations of the quantity and frequency of vaping behaviors among high school students and college-age youth.

Factors Supporting Academic Engagement Among Cambodian American High School Youth

Factors Supporting Academic Engagement Among Cambodian American High School Youth

From Earning to Learning: Reasoning and Participation in Youth Co-design of Digital Badges

Youth co-design has the possibility to reframe learning and participation, repositioning and remediating youth roles. However, youth co-design processes can also unintentionally reproduce normative forms of power and learning. This paper describes how co-design processes can position youth as having full agency for the design of a digital badge system, yet their participation and design are still guided by existing normative concepts of learning. We asked: How do youth roles, positioning, activity structures, and materials shape youth agentic participation in co-design and the disruption of traditional hierarchical design processes? This paper documents the youth co-design of a digital badge system that represented participation in a program at an aquarium where youth volunteers interpret exhibits for aquarium patrons. In coordination with faculty at a local university, the badge system culminated in college credit for qualifying high school youth. During the co-design process, youth initially imported school-based frames of learning and participation that constrained definitions of the who, what, and how of learning. However, with the support of new physical and conceptual resources, the design team expanded how they framed learning and participation, while still maintaining some school-based products and processes. This paper contributes to literature on including youth in design processes, indicating the importance of scaffolding for agency and participation.

Meaning making and fostering radical hope: applying positive psychology to eco-anxiety research in youth

The consequences of human activity on climate change are increasingly apparent. For example, they are causing ecological degradation and affecting human and animal health. Rightly so, it is considered as the most important challenge of this century. Researchers in psychology and mental health developed an interest in the direct and indirect effects of climate and ecological change on people's psychological wellbeing, which is referred to as a concept described as eco-anxiety or eco-distress. It is worth emphasizing that climate issues are taking a larger place in the school curriculum for youth in elementary, middle and high schools. Youth are thus increasingly aware of the major threat and understandably report legitimate concerns and worries. For some youth, eco-anxiety leads to greater involvement and activism, as can be seen by the international movement set out and led by youth activist Greta Thunberg. However, eco-anxiety can also lead to feelings of hopelessness and disengagement. Despite contributing the least to the climate and ecological crises, youth will be most affected by the impacts, and will carry the burden of the climate crisis throughout their lives. Researchers, educators and mental health professionals must therefore find ways to foster youth psychosocial wellbeing and resilience alongside ensuring that their voices are heard. To this end, it is vital that young people feel able to openly discuss climate change and associated issues alongside the distressing thoughts and feelings they engender. This can be supported by using various psychological approaches to develop effective interventions. Researchers and clinicians in child mental health could gain from drawing from research in positive psychology to develop such interventions. In this review and commentary, we will outline how eco-anxiety and child psychological wellbeing can be framed within a positive psychology framework, including the relevance of self-determined motivation. Insights from interventions based on positive psychology including exercises to foster hope, forgiveness and meaning making will also be discussed. We will highlight how such interventions can be adapted as powerful tools to foster child wellbeing and cope with their eco-anxiety.

Susceptibility to e-cigarette use and associated factors in high school youth, Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey, 2021-2022.

Susceptibility predicts subsequent uptake of e-cigarettes (EC) by youth. This study identified factors associated with EC susceptibility among high school students who have never used a tobacco/nicotine product. The Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey was administered to a random sample of 36 Oklahoma High Schools during the 2021-2022 school year (n = 1,220 participating students). Associations between EC susceptibility and covariates were identified using stepwise logistic regression for weighted survey data. More than one third of Oklahoma high school students who had never used tobacco or nicotine products (36.4%) were susceptible, and males had higher susceptibility than females (38.8 and 33.9%, respectively). In males, EC susceptibility was associated with race (Black, American Indian, and other were less susceptible), psychological distress (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.1, 4.8), disagreement that all tobacco products are dangerous (aOR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.2, 7.9), and perception of little/no harm from secondhand vapor (aOR = 3.4, 95% CI = 2.1, 5.3). In females, identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (aOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1, 3.9), poor academic performance (aOR = 4.5, 95% CI = 1.6, 12.6), psychological distress (aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2, 5.5) and interacting with EC content on social media (aOR = 5.9, 95% CI = 1.9, 18.1) were associated with EC susceptibility. Males and females had different patterns of susceptibility to EC use. Understanding groups of adolescents most susceptible to using nicotine products can help target prevention efforts at home, in schools, and within communities.

PARENTAL INTERACTIONS AND CYBERBULLYING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF HIGH SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN SUMBERSARI DISTRICT, JEMBER

Background: The National Survey stated 45% of 2,777 Indonesian youths had experienced cyberbullying, including harassment via chat applications (45%), distribution of personal documentation (41%) and other harassment (14%). A preliminary study in Jember Regency stated that 21 out of 30 students had been victims of cyberbullying. Purpose: To find out the correlation between parental interaction (the role of monitoring online activity, disciplining and potential conflict) and exposure to cyberbullying (flamming, harassment, denigrations, impersonations, outing, exclusion, cyberstalking) on psychological impact (self-confidence, anxiety, hopelessness and suicidal intent) of high school youth in Sumbersari District, Jember Regency. Methods: This is a quantitative research that was conducted at 12 Senior High Schools at Sumbersari District, Jember with a total population of 5,346 students. Simple random sampling research, of 358 Lemeshow sampling students. Collecting interview data and filling out a questionnaire forJanuary 2019. Analysis of chi-square bivariate test data. Results: The significance of parental interaction was found related to conflict with the level of self-confidence and anxiety of adolescents (p 0.00; OR 2.77 and p 0.02; OR 1.71). Interestingly, it was found that harassment had an impact on the level of self-confidence (p 0.00; OR 2.29), anxiety (p 0.00; OR 1.92), hopelessness (p 0.00; ­­OR 2.91) and intention to commit suicide (p 0.02; OR 1.84). Cyberstalking had an impact on the level of self-confidence (p 0.00; OR: 3.02), anxiety (p 0.00; OR: 1.81), hopelessness (p 0.00; OR: 5.50) and intention to suicide (p 0.00; OR: 2.44). Conclusion: Parental interactions and exposure to cyberbullying have a significant effect and play an important role in the psychological impact experienced in adolescence.