Male Teenagers Research Articles

Trends and country-level variation in age at first sex in sub-Saharan Africa among birth cohorts entering adulthood between 1985 and 2020

BackgroundDebuting sexual intercourse marks exposure to pregnancy or fatherhood and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), sexual debut varies according to cultural, religious, and economic factors, and encouraging delay has been a longstanding component of behavioural HIV prevention strategies. Age at first sex (AFS) is routinely collected in national household surveys, but data are affected by reporting biases, limiting utility to monitor trends and guide sexual health interventions.MethodsWe collated individual-level data from nationally-representative household surveys to analyse timing and national trends in AFS in 42 SSA countries. We used a log-skew-logistic distribution to characterize the time to AFS in a Bayesian spatio-temporal model, providing estimates of the sexual debut rate by sex, age, time, and country. We statistically adjusted for reporting biases by comparing AFS reported by the same birth cohorts in multiple survey rounds, allowing different reporting biases by sex and country.ResultsMedian AFS in 2015 ranged from 15.8 among Angolan women to 25.3 among men in Niger. AFS was younger for women than men in 37/40 countries. The gap was largest for Sahel region countries and minimal in southern African countries. The distribution of female AFS was asymmetric with half debuting sex in an age range of 3.9 years [IQR 3.4–5.0 across countries]. Median AFS increased slightly between 1985 and 2020, ranging 0.84 years [IQR 0.11–1.55] and 0.79 [IQR -0.23–1.98] for females and males, respectively. The gender gap changed little over time in most countries. Female teens often reported higher AFS compared to when asked in their late twenties while male teens reported lower AFS; both sexes recalled a higher AFS in older ages compared to their thirties.ConclusionsAFS increased slightly in most SSA countries, but changes were modest relative to large and persistent variation between countries and sexes, indicating relatively entrenched socio-cultural practices around sexual debut. Sexual health, family planning, and HIV/STI prevention services should adapt to local practices rather than focusing interventions to change AFS. These estimates for rates of sexual debut provide data to guide programmatic prioritization and implementation of sexual health services.

Assessment of the theory of planned behaviour in predicting potential intention and behaviour of positive thinking among a school-based sample of Iranian adolescents: a path analysis

This study aimed to determine the predictive power of the theory of planned behaviour in predicting the intention and behaviour of positive thinking in school students. A cross-sectional study was performed on 367 high school male students in Iran. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability had been confirmed before. Descriptive and inferential analysis (univariate and multiple logistic regression models, Pearson correlation) was performed using SPSS software V.20. AMOS version 22 was used to perform the path analysis. According to the results, the construct of attitude was the most important construct in predicting positive thinking intention. Finally, the theory of planned behaviour constructs could predict 36% of intention variance and 20% of behaviour variance of positive thinking. Since the construct of attitude is one of the most powerful constructs in predicting student positive thinking intention in male teens, it is recommended that more attention be paid to this construct in educational programs to improve the mental health of male high school students. The results of this study can help psychologists and counsellors, families, and teachers improve students’ mental health.

Odor identification impairment in autism spectrum disorder might be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.

Deficits in olfactory function in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have already been reported. However, the results of previous studies are not consistent, and the pathophysiological mechanisms of olfactory dysfunction in ASD are not clear. Fifty-three male ASD children or teenagers aged 9-16 years were recruited for the study. The identification and discrimination portion of the Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) was used to assess the olfactory function of the enrolled subjects. The severity of ASD core symptoms and the intelligence quotient (IQ) of participants were assessed. In addition, to explore the potential mechanism underlying olfactory dysfunction, a series of plasma biochemical indicators of oxidative stress, mitochondrial function and inflammation were measured. The mean raw scores on the SST identification and discrimination test of the study subjects were significantly lower than those of typically developing subjects reported in normative data studies. After adjusting for IQ, the odor identification score was not significantly associated with any ASD symptoms. Odor identification was found to be significantly associated with the ratio of L-lactate (L)/pyruvate (P) but not with other measured indicators. The current study validates the impairment of odor identification and discrimination in Chinese ASD children. Odor identification dysfunction may be an independent clinical symptom of ASD. The plasma L/P ratio was found to be significantly associated with odor identification performance, which suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may be a potential mechanism underlying odor identification impairment in ASD.

A study of reasons why teenagers living in the countryside become alcoholics at an early age

IntroductionIrreversible damage is caused to the physical and psychic health of teenagers who become alcoholics at an early age. They later become addicted to alcohol which factor leads to the risk of development of chronic diseases, medical and social consequencesObjectivesMonitoring of subjective reasons and widespread frequency of drinking alcohol by teenagers living in the countryside aged 13-17MethodsOne thousand sixty two teenagers volunteered to take part in the study: 55.0% female and 45.0% male. Anonymous survey was used. The forms made up by the Center of Monitoring of Detrimental Habits among Children and Teenagers (Moscow, Russia)ResultsThe results of the study undertaken made it possible to see the main reasons for the early formation of drinking habits and the age at which teenagers start to drink. The main reason is the socially widespread myth that alcoholic drinks of a high quality are not detrimental to health at all. One third of the teenage respondents think so. The 42.3% of the young men and 65.3% of the girls show that first drank alcoholic drinks were in the family. Teenagers living in the countryside start to drink at the age of 13 to 17 including. The peak for females is 15-16, for males it is 13-16ConclusionsTaking into account the significant role of the family in the formation of early drinking habits of teenage males and females living in the countryside and the stable attitudes in family traditions would not help form in teenagers a motivated refusal to drink alcoholDisclosureNo significant relationships.

Association of violent video games with alcohol use disorder and smoking dependence among male adolescents in Lebanon

BackgroundWith the well-known serious effects of alcohol and nicotine dependence on adolescents’ well-being, and knowing that males are more exposed to violent video gaming, this study was conducted to examine the association between exposure to violent video gaming and alcohol, cigarette, and waterpipe dependence among male Lebanese adolescents. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional observational study conducted with Lebanese male students (13–17 years old) between October and December 2019. The Video Game Questionnaire was utilized to assess the content of violence in video games. For the assessment of alcohol, cigarette, and waterpipe dependence, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scale (AUDIT), Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), and Lebanese Waterpipe Dependence Scale (LWDS) were used, respectively. Log transformation was used for the three addiction scores. Four linear regressions were performed taking the AUDIT, FTND, LWDS, and violent video gaming scores as dependent variables. ResultsFrom the 388 students enroled (mean age= 15.83 ± 1.93 years), 190 (48.8%) were classified as having violent video gaming. Older age (beta=0.049) and more violent video gaming (beta=0.006) were significantly associated with more cigarette dependence. More violent video gaming (beta=0.003) was significantly associated with more waterpipe dependence. Older age (beta=−0.090) was significantly associated with lower alcohol use disorder, whereas more violent video gaming (beta=0.005) was significantly associated with more alcohol use disorder. ConclusionThe study supports an association between higher exposure to violent video game and higher alcohol and smoking dependence among male teenagers in Lebanon. Hence, support and guidance should be implemented to raise awareness and protect teenagers.

The Effect of Peer Group Support on Motivation to Quit Smoking Among Adolescents

Adolescents use cigarettes without considering the consequences and lack awareness about the dangers of using cigarettes. Peer group support potentially motivates to quit smoking in adolescents. It can empower group members by providing a role model to increase motivation. This paper analyzes the effect of peer group support on motivation to quit smoking among adolescents. It was quasi-experimental research with a post-test and pre-test one-group design. The population was smoking adolescents. In addition, there were 37 respondents with purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria were male teenagers aged 12-16 years and active smokers. The independent variable was peer group support, and the dependent variable was motivation to quit smoking. The instrument to assess motivation to quit smoking was the Richmond Test. Data analysis utilized paired t-test with α=0.05. There was an increase in the mean value of motivation to quit smoking before and after the intervention. In addition, paired t-tests obtained p=0.030 (p< 0.05), indicating a significant difference in pre-test and post-test. Thus, there was an effect of peer group support on adolescents' motivation to quit smoking. In conclusion, peer group support can increase adolescents' motivation to quit smoking. Nurses could enhance motivation for smoking cessation through peer support interventions so there is a change in smoking behavior in adolescents. Further study should use a control group and a larger sample size.

Attitudes and behaviors of obstetricians and gynecologists toward HPV vaccination: a 7-year follow-up survey in Japan.

In Japan, the government suspended HPV vaccine recommendation in 2013, resulting in dropping vaccination uptake to almost zero. We conducted four serial surveys on our colleague' attitude to HPV vaccination between 2014 and 2021. Here, we evaluate the result of the survey in 2021 and compare it to previous surveys. The subjects were 567 obstetricians and gynecologists who had been trained in our university hospital or our affiliated hospitals. We used a questionnaire similar in format to those used in 2014, 2017, and 2019. A total of 340 doctors (60.0%) completed the survey. Among them, 93.2% (317/340) of respondents thought that the government should restart HPV vaccination recommendation, and that 63.2% (215/340) think male teenagers should also vaccinate against HPV. The percentage of teenaged daughters inoculated with HPV vaccination after Japanese government had suspended its recommendation was 43.5% (20/46), an increasing trend from the previous surveys. 39 out of the 46 daughters (84.8%) would be expected to receive full HPV vaccination after they take junior high school entrance examination or after 9-valent HPV vaccination is designated as a national routine-immunization. This study revealed increasing number of our colleagues think HPV vaccination is necessary for prevention of cervical cancer. The Japanese government's decision to resume its recommendation of the HPV vaccine in November 2021 will lead to a change in the public's thinking and behavior toward the HPV vaccine.

Negotiating Sexuality: Indonesian Female Audience towards Pornographic Media Content

As one topic that is deemed as controversial in Indonesia, pornography is rarely discussed, moreover in terms of adult audience. Most Indonesian research in pornographic media content mainly discussed about its effect on male teenagers. However, as one of many media content forms, pornography is segmented for specific audience, in which is adult. Things become more complicated when it comes to female audience, though, as the normativity of Indonesian society has a set of beliefs that sexual desires only belong to men. Nevertheless, women are able to watch porn as well. Hence, this paper is going to examine how Indonesian female audience perceive the pornographic media content they access, as further to how its impact towards their sexuality as a woman who lives in Indonesian patriarchal society. The research is conducted by new ethnography method with Indonesian female informants who are the audiences of pornographic media content. Significant finding in this research shows that women in this research are highly aware that they, too, have sexual desires just the same as their male counterparts. On the other side, they’re also highly concerned of how people around them make a judgment in regards to women who like sex or watch porn in particular; hence, it affects their sexual expression in their daily life. Furthermore, watching porn has made them negotiate their sexuality as a woman, in a way that they try to make sense of their sexual fantasy and the reality.

Epidemiology of Drug Use in Herat - Afghanistan.

Drug addiction is one of the alarming public health and social problems in Afghanistan and around the world. Addiction denotes the habitual use or the physical or mental dependence on narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. Drug addicts who were admitted to six public addicts' rehabilitation centers in Herat, Afghanistan between March and July 2019 were recruited for this descriptive study. A total of 299 drug addicts were included in this study. A 77-item questionnaire containing three subscales: 39 items for personal information, 32 items for drug use, and 6 items for dependence and treatment subscale were validated and used for data collection. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows v.22.0 was used for data analyses. The median age of the participants was 30 years. Of all participants, 79.1% were male, 56.6% were illiterate, and 1.7% were university graduates. In this study, 44.8% of the participants used heroin, 20.7% used opium and 15.4% used methamphetamine. Almost half of the participants (49.5%) declared that at least one member of their families was a drug user. Of the 299 drug users included in this study, 64.9% stated that at least one person close to them (except family members) used drugs. Over two-thirds of the participants (78.4%) had easy access to drugs, 26.8% had broken laws for money/drugs at least once. This study revealed that male illiterate teenagers living in low-economic nuclear families were more vulnerable to drug use in Herat, Afghanistan. The most common reasons for drug use were curiosity, peer influence, and seeking pleasure.

The Effect of Prosocial and Antisocial Relationships Structure on Offenders’ Optimism towards Desistance

At the end of his career, Carlo Morselli started to be interested in how the structure of social relations could influence offenders’ prospects for reintegration and desistance. This article analyzes the data from his research project on that topic. The impacts of offenders’ relationships have traditionally been discussed from a dichotomous, risk-centered perspective opposing antisocial and prosocial peers. Social network studies allow a step back and a global view of the contexts and processes in which relationships shape trajectories. This article focuses on the ego networks of offenders as they reintegrate with society and sheds light on triadic patterns associated with increased optimism toward desistance. Interviews were conducted with residents of halfway houses (48 men and 24 women), with offenders followed by a community agency (25 men), and with incarcerated youth offenders (24 male teenagers). Structured interviews addressed multiple aspects of the lives of the offenders, including their social relations, prosocial and antisocial. A mixed-method approach was used to understand the influence of social relations in the perception of desistance potential success. First, logistic regressions were used to assess the effect of individual’s and egocentric networks’ characteristics on optimism toward desistance. Second, case studies of ego network sociograms illustrate the results and suggest hypotheses about processes that may explain them. Results show that optimism is higher when prosocial personal networks are denser, and is lower when antisocial networks are open, and as antisocial peers are connected to prosocial ties. The implications of these patterns for offenders’ desistance and network-based interventions are discussed.

A case report on premature canities associated with malabsorption syndrome treated with individualized homoeopathic remedy

Homeopathy is a ‘Pseudo-science’ or ‘Fake’ according to skeptical thinking of other schools of medicine. To prove them wrong, a proposal to provide evidence based medicine case reports are the best thing. Hair pigmentation is one of the most distinctive characteristics of individuals, ranging from black to brown to blonde to red. Hair, on the other hand, is an excellent cosmetic tool and method of nonverbal communication. Hair colour and style can drastically alter a person's physical appearance and, as a result, his or her body image. Because greying hair is seen as a sign of ageing, premature greying of hair (PGH) can have a negative impact on an individual's self-esteem if the main reason is malabsorption resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Hereby discussing a case of 19 yr male teenage who was brought by his mother with the C/o premature grey hair associated with loose stools after eating. Wherein the most difficult challenge to the physician is to execute the case with her own observations and mother’s history as most of the teenagers don’t open up fully during a case taking. Based on homoeopathic individualisation Calcarea carbonica remedy was selected and administered and within a few weeks remarkable changes in the pigment of the hair as well as improvement in the absorption & assimilation of intestines were seen.

The anxiety over soft masculinity: a critical discourse analysis of the “prevention of feminisation of male teenagers” debate in the Chinese-language news media

ABSTRACT Although the emergence of soft masculinity has incited much controversy in China, little research attention has been given to the discussion about the effeminate Chinese masculinity in the news media featuring public opinions at the national level. To fill this gap, this study employed critical discourse analysis to investigate the dominant discourses surrounding the “Prevention of Feminisation of Male Teenagers” debate and its ideological implications in the Chinese-language news media. The findings show that the media constructed anti-feminine discourse, nationalistic discourse, and anti-gender stereotype discourse with ideological implications for patriarchy, nationalism, and egalitarianism via various discursive strategies, specifically abstraction, authorisation, categorisation, morality, and rationalisation. This study sheds light on the diverse voices and concerns of the emergence of soft masculinity that have not been given much attention in the literature.

Cystinosis in Pediatric Renal Transplant Recipients: A Case-Control Study From Kuwait.

Cystinosis is the most frequent cause of the inherited renal Fanconi syndrome and is also potentially treatable. In this study, we have reported our single-center experience of the longterm outcomes of kidney transplant in patients with cystinosis. Pediatric patients with cystinosis (n = 17) were compared with a matched control group without cystinosis (n = 126). The 2 groups were compared with regard to demographic data, posttransplant complications, and graft and patient outcomes. Most patients with cystinosis were male teenagers (52.9%) with comparable mean age (12.4 ± 4.1 vs 14 ± 3.1 years) versus the group without cystinosis. The 2 study groups were comparable with regard to type of dialysis, type of donor, blood group, and pretransplant comorbidities (P > .05). Patients with cystinosis received significantly more potent induction therapy (P < 0.05), but both groups were maintained on comparable immunosuppressive regimens (mostly tacrolimus based) (P > .05). Most grafts in both groups displayed immediate graft function. The percentage of patients with cystinosis with primary graft function was significantly higher than the percentage of those patients without cystinosis who had primary graft function (P = .024); this was associated with a relatively lower baseline creatinine level, although this was not significant (P > .05). Posttransplant complications, especially posttransplant diabetes, cytomegalovirus viremia, or BK nephropathy, were comparable (P > .05). Moreover, patient and graft survival rates were similar in the 2 groups (P > .05). Under standard immunosuppression, renal transplant and cysteamine therapy were safe with good long-term outcomes in patients with cystinosis. Studies that can include more patients and that have longer follow-up are needed to better understand the nature of this genetic disease and to discover the best treatment options.

Passenger Presence and the Relative Risk of Teen Driver Death

PurposeThis study examines the relative risk of death among crash-involved teenage drivers in relation to the number and ages of passengers present. MethodsWe performed cross-sectional analysis of police-reported crashes in the United States in years 2016–2019 to estimate rate ratios for death among drivers aged 16–17 years by passenger composition (no passengers, one teen, ≥two teens, teens and adults aged 20–34 years, adults aged 20–34 years only, ≥one adult aged 35–64 years). Models were adjusted for confounding and effect modification related to driver, crash, and environmental factors. ResultsCrash-involved teen drivers carrying ≥2 teen passengers were twice as likely to die as teens driving alone. The driver was seven times as likely to die when carrying a mix of teen and young adult passengers compared with teens driving alone. Teen drivers' risk of death was lowest in the presence of an adult passenger aged 35–64 years. Carrying one teen passenger presents greater risk of death than driving alone for male teen drivers but not for females. DiscussionWhen teen drivers crash, they are more likely to die if they are carrying teen and/or young adult passengers than if they are driving alone or with a mature adult. The results support the current graduated licensing policies restricting young novice drivers from carrying teenage passengers. Results also help to clarify why previous studies have found that young passengers are associated with increased risk of fatal crashes, but not nonfatal crashes: it appears that passengers may have an effect on crash severity.

Anxiety and depressive symptomatology among children and adolescents exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

Background/Aim. Children and adolescents are sensitive groups for the development of mental disorders during the crisis. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depressive symptomatology in the population of children and adolescents. Methods. The investigation was based on a systematic review followed by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, including Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, and APA Psyc Info databases, to identify relevant studies reporting anxiety and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 27 articles were included. Results. Anxiety symptoms increased from 28.3% before the pandemic to 49.5% during confinement [General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 ? 11)] (McNemar test, p &lt; 0.0001). More depressive symptomatology was found, as well as weight and sleep disturbances which are the characteristics of children and adolescents? mental health. Additionally, female teenagers were experiencing grater declines in mood disorders than male teenagers during the COVID-19 crisis. On the one hand, different positive correlations between anxiety and other variables, were found, such as clinical depressive symptoms and anxiety (3/14), smartphone and internet addiction (2/14), lower levels of family income (2/14), perceived threats (2/14), higher grades at school (2/14), and loneliness (1/14). On the other hand, positive correlations were reported between depression and children and adolescents that were socially disconnected (3/17). Finally, mothers with higher level of education and income were associated with higher level of happiness (2/17). Conclusion. COVID-19 has a strong impact on the mental health of children and adolescents regarding depression and anxiety symptoms. Prevention programs focused on coping strategies should be conducted in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Mental health should become a priority matter for governments, and the current pandemic could be an opportunity to highlight the importance of mental well-being and to invest in the betterment of clinical trainings, treatments and mental health research.

Teenagers’ memory recall of narrative writing versus informational writing and its link to emotion

Memory, the ability to store and recall information over time, is an imperative component of our everyday lives. At first glance, the process of memorization might only be tied to studying and/or learning, but in reality, memory recall impacts every aspect of our lives. Something as simple as knowing a friend’s name, requires memory recall. Hence, scientists have extensively studied memory and classified it into 3 major memory processes: encoding, retention, and recall. However, not much research has been done to determine whether the type of information that one is exposed to impacts memory recall. In this study, we investigated whether teenagers’ memory recall was stronger for narrative writing or informational writing. We hypothesized that healthy male and female teenagers ages 13–19 would recall more information from narrative writing than informational writing since narrative writing promotes an emotional response. We tested this hypothesis on a group of 30 participants who read one narrative and one informational piece in counterbalanced order. After each reading period, they were given a memory test to assess their memory recall. Our results supported our hypothesis; we found that on average the participants were able to recall more information from the piece of narrative writing than the informational one. These results are significant as they indicate that emotional response could contribute to improved memory recall.

Effects of the "Free of COVID-19" educational program on teenagers’ preventive social skills

Objective: To determine the effects of the “Free of COVID-19” educational program on the preventive social skills ofteenagers treated at a provincial hospital in Peru. Materials and methods: An explanatory, pre-experimental, longitudinal and prospective research with a pretest andposttest intact group design. The population consisted of 40 male and female teenagers aged between 13 and 19, whowere treated at the Tayabamba provincial hospital. The inclusion criteria were a) teenagers aged between 13 and 19, b)teenagers with complete medical records and c) teenagers treated at the Tayabamba provincial hospital. The variables(before and after the program) were the preventive social skills and their dimensions: assertiveness, communication,self-esteem and decision-making. The “Free of COVID-19” educational program was implemented with a pretest and a posttest. A questionnaire made up of four dimensions and 27 questions was administered for assessing the preventivesocial skills. A non-parametric analysis of longitudinal data was used for a sample of subjects who were evaluated twiceduring the course of the study. Results: Before the implementation of the “Free of COVID-19” educational program, the teenagers’ preventive social skillswere, in general terms, fair (55.00 %) and, after the program, good (80.00 %). Their assertiveness was fair (45.00 %) beforethe program and improved to good (75.00 %) after the program. Their communication was fair (70.00 %) before the programand good (85.00 %) afterwards. Their decision-making was good (50.00 %) before the program and also good (90.00 %) afterthe implementation of the program. Conclusions: The preventive social skills of teenagers treated at the Tayabamba provincial hospital, as well as theirassertiveness, communication, self-esteem and decision-making, significantly improved with the implementation of the“Free of COVID-19” educational program.

Digital game adaptations to attract more girls to play

Until the early years of the 21st century, games were seen as activities for male teenagers and adults. Gradually, women are gaining representation in the universe of games, but they still encounter difficulties, face judgments, prejudice, and often feel discouraged to play. Games can encourage girls to see technology positively, which can motivate career choice in computing. As the number of female professionals in computing careers is still small, characterizing what girls like or dislike in games can contribute to the increase in that number. Thus, this work aims to propose adaptations for digital games, to attract more girls to play them. To reach this objective, we conducted interviews with girls, to collect information about what they like or dislike in games, and later a triangulation was performed for validation, which used information extracted from a questionnaire. The analysis of the interviews shows that aspects suchas game graphics, the possibility of playing in a group, the reality of the game, and freedom to choose avatars and paths the game will follow are characteristics significantly valued by the participants, regardless of whether they already play games or not. Based on the analysis, this work generated suggestions for better matching games for girls contributing to reducing the gap between men and women in computing careers. Some of the main suggestions address the need to pay attention to how the game will work the interaction between players; the need to provide the gamer constant feedback and rating features suchas ranking, promoting competition, and the insertion of female avatars within the games that are representative and that have physical variations in the characters, in addition to representing women as champions and not just as support for other players.

The Association Between Sports, Body Image, and Eating Disorders of Males Teens at Eastside Catholic

In the past 25 years, the number of males who are dissatisfied with their bodies increased threefold. This is prevalent especially in the athletic field, where different physique expectations are closely associated with performance. Heightened focus on dietary rules and fitness level cause males to struggle with body dissatisfaction and shame and increase the risk of them developing eating disorders (ED), some of which are the most fatal mental illnesses. Many disordered eating behaviors stem from negative self-perceptions, which start to develop as early as the beginning of grade school and intensifies during pubertal development. However, most studies that examine this issue either looks at female college athletes who have a heavy exercise load and pressure from society on their physiques or focuses on social factors of peer pressure, family influence, and beauty standard. Therefore, it is imperative to determine whether sports participation is positively correlated with the rapidly growing rate of body image issues and ED symptoms in adolescent boys to help address them promptly and prevent severe and lasting damages. This quantitative case study conducted on male teens at Eastside Catholic High School (ECHS) found positive correlations between aesthetic/strength sports, body image issues, and higher ED risks, suggesting that athletic involvement plays a greater role in a person’s physical perception and mental health than body weight does. The conclusions inform education institutions and guardians of the more effective way to detect male adolescents’ body image issues and eating disorder symptoms, helping to prevent or alleviate mental illnesses.

Correlation Between Sports-Related Maxillofacial Injuries and Head Injuries: A Five-Year Retrospective Study.

As sports have become more diverse and demanding, the number of patients with a maxillofacial injury accompanied by a cranial injury or neurological symptoms has increased. This study examined the correlation between sports-related maxillofacial injuries and head injuries. Among the patients who visited the emergency department of Pusan National University Dental Hospital due to a maxillofacial injury from sporting activities between 2014 and 2018, those who additionally had head injuries were retrospectively examined. Sporting activities were classified according to the American Academy of Pediatrics classification, and severity of injuries was determined using the Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS). Patients whose medical records showed neurological symptoms and who underwent brain computed tomography for concomitant head injury were selected. The association between each of these variables, including age and gender, was statistically analyzed. A total of 95 patients were included in this study, most of whom were male teenagers, and cycling was the most common cause of injuries. The meanFISS score was 0.79. Brain computed tomography was conducted for 91 patients, and 28 patients reported neurological symptoms. Only 11 patients underwent advanced evaluation in the neurology or neurosurgery department. Most patients were diagnosed with contusion and concussion and were monitored without any treatment. Higher FISS values did not reflect the severity of maxillofacial and head injury. In this study, there were some patients with cranial fracture and cerebral hemorrhage with mild neurosurgical symptoms of facial trauma. Although the incidence of head trauma is not high, the necessity of wearing protective equipment cannot be overemphasized because severe trauma is permanent. Neurological signs and symptoms of patients with maxillofacial trauma should not be overlooked and require a thorough evaluation.