Youth Body Research Articles

Eating disorder chatbots: Current status, challenges, and future directions

Eating disorders (ED) have the highest case mortality rate among all mental health issues, and their prevalence has increased significantly in recent years. However, fewer than 20% of sufferers receive treatment. Chatbots, or conversational agents, that target EDs are a promising way to bridge this gap and supplement existing support by being cost-effective, accessible, and non-human. The technical compositions behind these chatbots vary, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Generally, the field of ED chatbots is emerging and only a handful of platforms have come out, including one designed to replace ED helpline support and one to support youth body image. While many ethical and practical challenges affect ED chatbots, there are ways to make progress, and the collaboration between developers, clinicians, ethicists, and the public will be vital in this pursuit. Integrating ED chatbots into healthcare and social media platforms are future directions that could significantly advance ED healing.

City-Level Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Youth Body Mass Index Percentile

Levying excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) distributors, which are subsequently passed on to consumers, is a policy implemented to reduce the high prevalence of cardiometabolic disease and generate public health funding. Taxes are associated with lower SSB purchases and consumption, but it is unknown whether they are associated with weight-related outcomes in youth. To determine the association of SSB excise taxes with youth body mass index (BMI) trajectories. This cohort study was conducted from 2009 to 2020, including 6 years before tax implementation and 4 to 6 years after tax implementation. The California cities of Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco, which implemented SSB excise taxes, were compared against 40 demographically matched control cities in California. Participants included Kaiser Permanente members aged 2 to 19 years at cohort entry (baseline) with continuous residence in selected cities with at least 1 pretax and 1 posttax BMI recorded in their electronic health record. Data analysis was performed from January 2021 to May 2023. Implementation of SSB excise taxes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention age-specific and sex-specific BMI percentiles and percentage of youth with overweight or obesity before tax implementation through 4 to 6 years after implementation were compared with control cities. Statistical analysis was conducted using the difference-in-differences (DID) method. A sensitivity analysis used the synthetic control method. A total of 44 771 youth (mean [SD] age at baseline, 6.4 [4.2] years; 22 337 female [49.9%]) resided in the cities with SSB taxes; 345 428 youth (mean [SD] age, 6.9 [4.2] years; 171 0168 female [49.5%]) resided in control cities. There was a -1.64-percentage point (95% CI, -3.10 to -0.17 percentage points) overall difference in the mean change of BMI percentile between exposure and control cities after SSB tax implementation. There was no significant overall difference in the percentage of youth with overweight or obesity or youth with obesity compared with control cities. All DID estimates were significant for youth residing in exposure cities in terms of BMI percentile (age 2-5 years in 2017, -2.06 percentage points [95% CI, -4.04 to -0.09 percentage points]; age 6-11 years in 2017, -2.79 percentage points [95% CI, -4.29 to -1.30 percentage points]), percentages of youth with overweight or obesity (age 2-5 years, -5.46 percentage points [95% CI, -8.47 to -2.44 percentage points]; age 6-11 years, -4.23 percentage points [95% CI, -6.90 to -1.57 percentage points]), and percentages of youth with obesity (age 2-5 years; -1.87 percentage points [95% CI, -3.36 to -0.38 percentage points]; age 6-11 years, -1.85 percentage points [95% CI, -3.46 to -0.24 percentage points]). Compared with control cities, changes in mean BMI percentiles were significant for male (-1.98 percentage points; 95% CI, -3.48 to -0.48 percentage points), Asian (-1.63 percentage points; 95% CI, -3.10 to -0.16 percentage points), and White (-2.58 percentage points; 95% CI, -4.11 to -1.10 percentage points) youth. Compared with control cities, White youth in exposure cities had improvements in the percentage with overweight or obesity (-3.73 percentage points; 95% CI, -6.11 to -1.35 percentage points) and the percentage with obesity (-2.78 percentage points; 95% CI, -4.18 to -1.37 percentage points). In this cohort study, SSB excise taxes were associated with lower BMI percentile among youth. Policymakers should consider implementing SSB excise taxes to prevent or reduce youth overweight and obesity and, ultimately, chronic disease, particularly among children younger than 12 years.

Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh's courageous sacrifice in the Indian nationalist movement

Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh is considered one of the most influential young revolutionaries of the Indian nationalist movement. His courageous sacrifice for the Indian nationalist movement is remembered as Martyrs’ Day on 23 March. On this day, on 23 March 1931, Bhagat Singh Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar were hanged. To liberate the country of India, these brave sons had kissed the noose with a smile. That is why this day is called Martyr’s Day. At that time Bhagat Singh was only 23 years old. At the young age of 23, he along with his comrades sacrificed their lives for the motherland, due to which Bhagat Singh became a favorite of the youth during the freedom struggle. This famous slogan of “Inquilab Zindabad” had expressed the voice of patriotism in every vein of the heart, mind and body of the Indian youth. Bhagat Singh was born on 27 September 1907 at 09.00 am in Banga village, District – Lyallpur. His father’s name was Sardar Kishan Singh Sandhu and mother’s name was Vidyavati Kaur. At the time of his birth, his father Kishan Singh and some family members were in jail. His uncle Ajit Singh was always in front of him as a motivating force and role model. His father Sardar Kishan Singh, who worked all his life for the independence of the country, was his source of inspiration. Inspired by the revolutionary family, the spirit of courage, sacrifice and patriotism developed in Bhagat Singh. In his early days, Bhagat Singh supported Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement. But later, due to Gandhiji canceling the non-cooperation movement, some anger arose among them. But like the entire nation, he respected Gandhiji. Bhagat Singh was only 12 years old at the time of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. This massacre filled Bhagat Singh’s mind with anger against the British. At the same time, Bhagat Singh was so disturbed by the hanging of four revolutionaries and the imprisonment of 16 other revolutionaries in the Kakori incident that he merged his party Navjawan Bharat Sabha with the Hindustan Republican Association and gave it a new name, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. “Today the desire for sarfaroshi is in our hearts, let us see how much strength the killer has in his arms” These are the words of those revolutionaries whose story of courage, sacrifice and bravery is remembered across the country. The country always pays tribute to his martyrdom.

청소년의 신체활동횟수와 주요 사회적 문제와의 관계

Objectives This study aims to determine whether the number of physical activities of adolescents affects subjective health status and variables related to social problems. The 2021 data was used from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, a nationwide health and nutrition survey that has been conducted every three years since 1998. By confirming the relationship between physical activity and the general characteristics of adolescents and health practices, major social problems of adolescents, and health practices, we aim to provide basic data needed to find ways to improve physical activity and health in adolescents.
 Methods 442 adolescents aged 12 to 18 were selected as subjects for the study, and frequency analysis was performed on the general characteristics of the subjects and the characteristics of major social problems of adolescents, and differences between general characteristics and major social problem characteristics of adolescents according to physical activity practice were analyzed using Independent Two Sample-test and One-way ANOVA, and Scheffé 's post-test was conducted. In addition, the relationship between physical activity practice and general characteristics and major social problems among adolescents was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient.
 Results The health of our country's youth shows a high correlation to their main health problems, including lack of physical activity and exercise, easy access to smoking and drinking, and an environment in which they are easily exposed to depression, anxiety, and stress. This study also found that drinking alcohol has a negative impact on the youth's body. It appeared to be a variable closely related to activity.
 Conclusions In conclusion, this study is significant in that it empirically investigated the relationship between the number of physical activities, subjective health perception, and social problems of adolescents, and in particular, it is academic in that it provided implications for promoting adolescent health by using reliable.

Developing a scale for administrative leadership skills for the performance of leaders working in sports and youth bodies and institutions in Iraq

ان هدف الدراسة يتحدد ببناء مقياس مهارات القيادة الإدارية لأداء الهيـئات والمؤسسات الرياضية والشبابية في العراق. واستحداث مجالات حديثة للمقياس. و كانت مشكلة الدراسة في عدم وجود او قلة المقاييس التي صممت في مجال المهارات القيادية و خصوصا للجنة الأولمبية او الاتحادات المركزية واستعملت الباحثتان المنهج الوصفي وبأساليب الدراسات المسحية، وتمثلت عينة البحث بقيادات وإدارات الهياة والمؤسسات الرياضية والشبابية، المتمثلة في ممثليات اللجنة الاولمبية الوطنية العراقية والاتحادات المركزية وبعض الأندية الرياضية من الدرجة الأولى والممتازة والمديريات الشبابية والرياضية في المحافظات، البالغة (398) فرداً، واستخدمتا الوسائل الاحصائية (الوسط الحسابي، الانحراف المعياري، معامل الارتباط البسيط، اختبارT)) للعينات المستقلة، التحليل العاملي بطريقة (Hottling-Principal Components). واستنتجتا إنَّ مهارة اتخاذ القرار هي أساس العملية الإدارية بكاملها وهي التي تميز القائد عن غيره في قيادة الهيأة والمؤسسة التي يقودها حين تكون قراراته علمية ومدروسة فضلا عن كونها مهارة ملازمة ودائمة لتفاصيل العمل اليومي للقائد، وهذا ما يحقق احد اهداف التنمية المستدامة للامم المتحدة في العراق (التعليم الجيد). واوصتا بان يُمكن الإفادة من هذا المقياس من وزارة الشباب والرياضة كذلك من اللجنة الأولمبية الوطنية العراقية في تقويم مستوى أداء قيادات الهياة والمؤسسات الرياضية والشبابية في العراق، ويُمكن الإفادة من هذا المقياس في انتقاء القادة للعمل في المجال الرياضي والشبابي، والعمل على تقنين المقياس الحالي من لدن الباحثين.

The global context of youth engagement: A scoping review of youth councils in municipal government

Youth engagement in policy decision-making can benefit youth and their communities. Youth bodies at the municipal level, in the form of councils, commissions, and advisory boards, are one common mechanism to engage youth. There are numerous examples of municipal youth councils across the globe, yet no cross-county studies that compile the lessons from these efforts. The aim of the present study was to gather and synthesize research pertaining to municipal youth councils in an international context. The study used a scoping review protocol to collect and analyze data on the existence, origin, structure, activities, barriers, and impacts of municipal youth councils. The results show robust examples of municipal youth councils globally, however, there is wide variation in the origin, structure, and activities. Furthermore, there has been little attention to measure policy and community impacts. The study results demonstrate the promise of youth engagement in policy decision-making, but also the need for more systematic research documenting the best practices and impacts of municipal youth councils.

Changes in Food Consumption, BMI, and Body Composition in Youth in the US during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Rates of childhood overweight/obesity have risen for decades; however, data show the prevalence increased at a faster rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic-associated increases in youth's body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) have been attributed to decreases in reported physical activity; few studies have examined changes in food intake. We therefore examined changes in total energy, nutrient consumption, BMI, BMIz, and adiposity longitudinally over 3 years, comparing healthy youth aged 8-17 years assessed twice prior to the pandemic, to youth seen once before and once during the pandemic. The total energy intake and percent macronutrient consumption were assessed using a standardized, laboratory-based, buffet-style meal. Height and weight were measured and adiposity was collected via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Generalized linear model univariate analyses investigated differences between groups. One-hundred-fifteen youth (15.6 + 2.8 years 47.8% female; 54.8% White) from the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia greater metropolitan area participated. In this secondary analysis, neither changes in total energy intake (p = 0.52) nor changes in nutrient consumption were significantly different between the two groups (ps = 0.23-0.83). Likewise, changes in BMI, BMIz, and adiposity (ps = 0.95-0.25) did not differ by group. Further research should investigate food intake and body composition, comparing youth with and without overweight/obesity to better identify those at greatest risk of excess weight gain during the pandemic.

Using classification and regression trees to model missingness in youth BMI, height and body mass data.

Research suggests that there is often a high degree of missingness in youth body mass index (BMI) data derived from self-reported measures, which may have a large effect on research findings. The first step in handling missing data is to examine the levels and patterns of missingness. However, previous studies examining youth BMI missingness used logistic regression, which is limited in its ability to discern subgroups or identify a hierarchy of importance for variables, aspects that may go a long way in helping understand missing data patterns. This study used sex-stratified classification and regression tree (CART) models to examine missingness in height, body mass and BMI data among 74 501 youth participating in the 2018/19 COMPASS study (a prospective cohort study examining health behaviours among Canadian youth), where 31% of BMI data were missing. Diet, movement, academic, mental health and substance use variables were examined for associations with missingness in height, body mass and BMI. CART models indicated that the combination of being younger, having a selfperception of being overweight, being less physically active and having poorer mental health yielded female and male subgroups highly likely to be missing BMI values. Survey respondents who did not perceive themselves as overweight and who were older were unlikely to be missing BMI values. The subgroups identified by the CART models indicate that a sample that deletes cases with missing BMI would be biased towards physically, emotionally and mentally healthier youth. Given the ability of CART models to identify these subgroups and a hierarchy of variable importance, they are an invaluable tool for examining missing data patterns and appropriate handling of missing data.

Changes in Body Mass Index Among School-Aged Youths Following Implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

The prevalence of obesity among youths 2 to 19 years of age in the US from 2017 to 2018 was 19.3%; previous studies suggested that school lunch consumption was associated with increased obesity. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) strengthened nutritional standards of school-based meals. To evaluate the association between the HHFKA and youth body mass index (BMI). This cohort study was conducted using data from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program, a nationwide consortium of child cohort studies, between January 2005 and March 2020. Cohorts in the US of youths aged 5 to 18 years with reported height and weight measurements were included. Full implementation of the HHFKA. The main outcome was annual BMI z-score (BMIz) trends before (January 2005 to August 2016) and after (September 2016 to March 2020) implementation of the HHFKA, adjusted for self-reported race, ethnicity, maternal education, and cohort group. An interrupted time-series analysis design was used to fit generalized estimating equation regression models. A total of 14 121 school-aged youths (7237 [51.3%] male; mean [SD] age at first measurement, 8.8 [3.6] years) contributing 26 205 BMI measurements were included in the study. Overall, a significant decrease was observed in the annual BMIz in the period following implementation of the HHFKA compared with prior to implementation (-0.041; 95% CI, -0.066 to -0.016). In interaction models to evaluate subgroup associations, similar trends were observed among youths 12 to 18 years of age (-0.045; 95% CI, -0.071 to -0.018) and among youths living in households with a lower annual income (-0.038; 95% CI, -0.063 to -0.013). In this cohort study, HHFKA implementation was associated with a significant decrease in BMIz among school-aged youths in the US. The findings suggest that school meal programs represent a key opportunity for interventions to combat the childhood obesity epidemic given the high rates of program participation and the proportion of total calories consumed through school-based meals.

Litter size influences rumen microbiota and fermentation efficiency, thus determining host early growth in goats.

Multiple litters are accompanied by low birth weight, low survival rates, and growth rates in goats during early life. Regulating rumen microbiota structure can indirectly or directly affect host metabolism and animal growth. However, the relationship between high litter size and rumen microbiome, rumen fermentation, and growth performance in goat kids is unclear. In the present study, thirty 6-month-old, female goats were investigated, of which 10 goats were randomly chosen from single, twin and triplet goats respectively, and their birth weight was recorded. From birth, all goats were subjected to the same feed and management practices. Individual weaning and youth body weight were measured, and the rumen fluid samples were collected to characterize the bacterial communities and to determine the ruminal volatile fatty acids (VFA), free amino acids (AA), and free fatty acids (FA) concentration of those young goats. Compared with the single and twin goats, triplet goats have lower weaning and youth body weight and average daily gain (ADG). Ruminal propionate, butyrate, and total VFA were decreased in triplet goats. Meanwhile, ruminal AA, such as branched chain amino acids (BCAA), essential amino acids (EAA), unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were decreased, while saturated fatty acids (SFA) and odd and branched chain fatty acids (OBCFA) were increased in triplet goats. Our results also revealed that litter size significantly affected the rumen bacterial communities, and triplet goats had a lower the Firmicutes: Bacteroidota ratio, the abundance of Firmicutes phylum, Rikenellaceae family, and Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, and had a higher proportion of Prevotellaceae family, and several genera of Prevotellaceae, such as Prevotella, and unclassified f Prevotellaceae. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation network analysis showed that the changes in the rumen bacteria were associated with changes in rumen metabolites. In conclusion, this study revealed that high litter size could bring disturbances to the microbial communities and decrease the rumen fermentation efficiency and growth performance, which can be utilized to better understand variation in microbial ecology that will improve growth performance in triplet goats.

Learning from missing data: examining nonreporting patterns of height, weight, and BMI among Canadian youth.

Youth body mass index (BMI), derived from self-reported height and weight, is commonly prone to nonreporting. A considerable proportion of overweight and obesity (OWOB) research relies on such self-report data, however little literature to date has examined this nonreporting and the potential impact on research conclusions. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics and predictors of missing data in youth BMI, height, and weight. Using a sample of 74,501 Canadian secondary school students who participated in the COMPASS study in 2018/19, sex-stratified generalized linear mixed models were run to examine predictors of missing data while controlling for school-level clustering. In this sample, 31% of BMI data were missing. A variety of diet, exercise, mental health, and substance use variables were associated with BMI, height, and weight missingness. Perceptions of being overweight (females: 95% CI (1.42,1.62), males: 95% CI (1.71,2.00)) as well as intentions to lose weight (females: 95% CI (1.17,1.33), males: 95% CI (1.13,1.32)) were positively associated with BMI missingness. Findings from this study suggest that nonreporting in youth height and weight is likely somewhat related to the values themselves, and hint that social desirability may play a substantial role in nonreporting. The predictors of missingness identified in this study can be used to inform future studies on the potential bias stemming from missing data and identify auxiliary variables that may be used for multiple imputation approaches.

Occupational Hazards: Contemporary Historical-Fantasies and the Labouring Bodies of Youth

Find information about UTP Journals. University of Toronto Press is Canada’s leading academic publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America, with particular strengths in the social sciences, humanities, and business. The Book Publishing Division is widely recognized in Canada for its strength in history, political science, sociology, Indigenous studies, and cultural studies. Internationally, UTP is a leading publisher of medieval, Renaissance, Italian, Iberian, Slavic, and urban studies, as well as studies in book and print culture.

Are Some Canadian Youth NEETer than Others? Examining North-South and Rural-Urban Inequalities in Education, Employment, and Training

A growing body of research studies youth not actively involved in education, employment, or training (NEET). Some recent estimates of NEET place Canadian youth at slightly below the OECD average. At the same time, however, researchers have identified a number of regional barriers that present unique challenges to labour market participation for Canadians residing in northern and rural areas. In this article, we investigate the extent to which regional differences contribute to the labour market inactivity of Canadian youth. Using multiple waves of Statistics Canada’s Youth in Transition Survey (YITS-A), we find that indeed NEET rates differ for youth who reside in northern and southern Canada. Northern, rural youth show significantly higher probabilities of being NEET between ages 20 and 22. Moreover, these regional differences in NEET status continue to have a strong and independent effect, even when accounting for socio-demographic characteristics, parental socio-economic factors, educational experiences, and family structure. These inequalities in early workforce outcomes have important implications for policy-makers, as they seek new ways of bolstering the school to work transitions of northern and rural youth.

MODERN APPROACHES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH POLICY BY STATE AUTHORITIES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The purpose of the study is to identify new approaches to the implementation of the state youth policy. The article examines the issue of the implementation of youth policy after the adoption of Law No. 489-FZ “On Youth Policy in the Russian Federation”. Model. the author conducted an expert survey of government representatives who implement the state youth policy. The article presents the opinion of experts and the problems faced by government representatives when interacting with youth advisory structures. The conducted research helped to establish the lack of involvement of young people in the implementation of the state youth policy. Conclusions. The author suggests new approaches to the implementation of youth policy with the involvement of members of youth advisory bodies. Youth advisory bodies act as a political communicator between the State and youth. Therefore, it is necessary to involve these youth bodies in the implementation of state tasks. The results of the work can be applied by the authorities in the implementation of the state youth policy in Russia. Practical application. When implementing proposals for the implementation of youth policy in practice, it is possible to modernize the work of youth advisory bodies and the system of interaction of the state with them. Social consequences. The political activity of youth bodies, in terms of the implementation of the state youth policy, there is a social management of a special group of citizens aged 18 to 35 years. The political influence of youth bodies, forming a leading function in the system of social management, thereby serves as a factor in the implementation of this management.

Associations Between Sleep Duration, Wake-Up Time, Bedtime, and Abdominal Obesity: Results From 9559 Chinese Children Aged 7-18 Years.

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations of sleep duration, wake-up time, bedtime, and childhood abdominal obesity, and to test whether there is a weekday/weekend difference and the potential modifying role of sex.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was based on the Students’ Constitution and Health Survey and included 9559 students (4840 boys and 4719 girls) aged 7–18 years (7227 aged 7–12 years, 2332 aged 13–18 years). They were divided into two groups (control group and group with abdominal obesity). The physical measurements included children and youth body height, body weight, and waist circumference (WC). A parent-report questionnaire was used to collect the information about parent characteristics as well as lifestyle and sleep patterns (sleep duration, bedtime, and wake-up time of weekdays and weekends) of children and youth.ResultsThe prevalence of abdominal obesity was 30.57% and the percentages of sleep duration <9 hours/day, wake-up time before 07:00 am on weekdays and weekends, bedtime after 10:00 pm on weekends were significantly higher in the group with abdominal obesity. After adjusting for confounders, sleep duration <9 hours/day on weekends was inversely related to abdominal obesity in the overall subjects, regardless of their sex and age, while bedtime after 10:00 pm on weekends was inversely related to abdominal obesity only in the overall subjects, boys, and children aged 7–12 years. Logistic regression models in all subjects showed that shorter hours of weekends sleep duration were associated with greater risks of abdominal obesity, even after adjusting for all confounders, including wake-up time and bedtime. The adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of abdominal obesity (with ≥10 hours/day as the reference group) for children with 9–10 hours/day, 8–9 hours/day, and <8 hours/day of weekend sleep duration were 1.23 (1.04–1.46), 1.59 (1.32–1.91) and 1.83 (1.42–2.36), respectively. Specifically, after stratification by sex and age, this phenomenon was only observed in boys and children aged 7–12 years.ConclusionsSleep duration and bedtime on weekends were independently associated with the risk of childhood abdominal obesity, particularly in boys and children aged 7–12 years.

Pubertal Suppression, Bone Mass, and Body Composition in Youth With Gender Dysphoria.

Puberty onset and development contribute substantially to adolescents' bone mass and body composition. Our objective with this study was to examine the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) on these puberty-induced changes among youth with gender dysphoria (GD). Medical records of the endocrine diversity clinic in an academic children's hospital were reviewed for youth with GD seen from January 2006 to April 2017 with at least 1 baseline dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry measurement. At baseline, transgender females had lower lumbar spine (LS) and left total hip (LTH) areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and LS bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) z scores. Only 44.7% of transgender youth were vitamin D sufficient. Baseline vitamin D status was associated with LS, LTH aBMD, and LS BMAD z scores. Post-GnRHa assessments revealed a significant drop in LS and LTH aBMD z scores (transgender males and transgender females) without fractures and LS BMAD (transgender males), an increase in gynoid (fat percentage), and android (fat percentage) (transgender males and transgender females), and no changes in BMI z score. GnRHa monotherapy negatively affected bone mineral density of youth with GD without evidence of fractures or changes in BMI z score. Transgender youth body fat redistribution (android versus gynoid) were in keeping with their affirmed gender. The majority of transgender youth had vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency with baseline status associated with bone mineral density. Vitamin D supplementation should be considered for all youth with GD.

Between the utopian imaginaries of literature and international law: The question of the insurgent child in international legal discourse and Kris Montañez’s Youth

AbstractThis article argues that international law and the literature of civil war, specifically the narratives from the Philippine communist insurgency, present two visions of the child. On the one hand, international law constructs a child that is individual and vulnerable, a victim of violence trapped between the contending parties. Hence, the child is a person who needs to be insulated from the brutality of the civil war. On the other hand, the article reads Filipino writer Kris Montañez’s stories as revolutionary tales that present a rational child, a literary resolution of the dilemmas of a minor’s participation in the world’s longest-running communist insurgency. Indeed, the short narratives collected in Kabanbanuagan (Youth) reveal a tension between a minor’s right to resist in the context of the people’s war and the juridical right to be insulated from the violence. As their youthful bodies are thrown into the world of the state of exception, violence forces children to make the choice of active participation in the hostilities by symbolically and literally assuming the roles played by their elders in the narrative. The article concludes that while this narrative resolution appears to offer a realistic representation and closure, what it proffers is actually a utopian vision that is in tension with international law’s own utopian vision of children. Thus, international law and the stories of youth in Kabanbanuagan provide a powerful critique of each other’s utopian visions.

Maternal Stress Moderates the Relationship of Food Insufficiency with Body Mass Index Trajectories from Childhood to Early Adulthood among U.S. Rural Youth.

Background: Findings on the relationships between household food insufficiency (HFI), maternal stress, and youth body mass index (BMI) are mixed, possibly due to cross-sectional study designs and measurement issues. Furthermore, little is known about how childhood exposure to HFI and maternal stress influences BMI into young adulthood among rural youth. We aimed to determine the independent and moderating relationships of HFI and maternal perceived stress on youth BMI trajectories from age 9 to 24 years. Methods: We used longitudinal data from rural New York youth (n = 341). At youth age 9 years, parents reported HFI using a reliable one-item measure, and mothers responded to the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; range: 0-40). BMI was calculated (kg/m2) from objective measures of height and weight at 9, 13, 17, and 24 years. Multivariate random-intercept trajectory models estimated the relationships of HFI and PSS on BMI trajectories (p < 0.05 for main effects, p < 0.10 for interactions). Results: At age 9 years, 16.4% experienced HFI and mean (standard deviation) BMI and PSS were 18.4 (3.6) kg/m2 and 7.7 (2.9), respectively. HFI and PSS were not associated with BMI trajectories (p = 0.18, p = 0.64, respectively), but their interaction was significant (p < 0.01). Each one-unit increase in PSS was associated with 0.6 (0.2) kg/m2 higher mean change in BMI trajectories for youth in food-insufficient, compared with food-sufficient, households. Conclusions: Higher levels of maternal stress in food-insufficient households may lead to greater increases in BMI from childhood to young adulthood. Public health interventions should simultaneously address parental stress and quality food access among low-income rural households.

The Association of the Parent-Child Language Acculturation Gap with Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Hispanic/Latino Youth: Results from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth).

Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately burdened by obesity and have a high prevalence of prediabetes and dyslipidemia. Differences in parent and child acculturation related to language use and preference (i.e., language acculturation) are associated with adverse cardiometabolic health behaviors, but no study has examined associations with cardiometabolic markers. To determine whether discordance in parent-child language acculturation (parent-child acculturation gap) was associated with poor youth cardiometabolic health. Hispanic/Latino 8-16-year-olds (n = 1,466) and parents from the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth) were examined. Mean scores for the Brief ARSMA-II's Anglo (AOS) and Latino (LOS) Orientation Scales represented language acculturation. Cardiometabolic markers included youth body mass index (BMI) percentile, blood pressure percentiles, and dysglycemia and hyperlipidemia measures. Missing data were imputed. Survey-weighted multivariable linear regression examined the association of youth, parent, and youth × parent (the acculturation gap) AOS and LOS scores separately with each cardiometabolic marker. Youth reported greater English and lower Spanish use than parents. Greater discordance in AOS scores was associated with elevated BMI percentile only (p-for-interaction < .01). The LOS acculturation gap was not associated with any outcome. Adjustment for acculturative stress, family functioning and closeness, parenting style, and youth's diet and physical activity did not alter findings. Removal of nonsignificant acculturation gaps did not indicate an association between individual youth or parent AOS or LOS scores and any cardiometabolic marker. Discordance in Hispanic/Latino parent-child dyads' English use may relate to increased risk for childhood obesity. Future studies should identify mediators of this association.

Maquinarias de guerra e mortes juvenis nas periferias do Ceará / War machines and juvenile deaths in the peripheries of Ceará

O objetivo deste artigo é problematizar como maquinarias de guerra em territorialidades periferizadas operam na produção de juventudes matáveis no bojo da intensificação da violência letal no Brasil, tomando a cidade de Fortaleza como exemplo empírico e a noções de necropolítica e políticas de inimizade, de Achille Mbembe, como operadores conceituais. Num primeiro momento, traz reflexões teóricas sobre essa própria tecnologia de gestão e produção da morte. Num segundo momento, analisa-se como “maquinarias de guerra” engendram “zonas de morte”, sendo a articulação entre disciplinamento, regulação biopolítica e produção/gestão de um “fazer morrer” característica da ocupação colonial na atualidade. Com isso, apontamos como o recrudescimento da violência letal nas margens urbanas expressa sua condição de colônias contemporâneas, em que processos de racialização maximizam a precarização de corpos juvenis negros, sob o fundamento da perpetuação de relações de inimizade.