Youth Participation Research Articles

Do environmental awareness and food safety information nudges enhance youth’s affinity to safer food consumption? Findings from an experiment in Nepal

PurposeUnsafe food consumption results in adverse health conditions, foodborne illness and undernutrition among households and communities. The consumption of food contaminated with harmful microorganisms or with harmful pesticide residuals results in adverse health conditions and undernutrition. However, there are a number of challenges to maintaining food safety in the food systems of developing countries, like Nepal, where awareness of food safety is low and research on these issues is lacking.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted an experiment among youth aged between 20 and 26 years in Nepal to assess their food safety awareness and affinity to safer fresh produce choices. In the classroom setting experimentations with and without information nudges conducted among 224 youth participants, participants chose one fresh produce packet among the four. We analyzed results using multinomial and mixed logit models appropriate for discrete choice modeling.FindingsWe found that the youth’s perceived higher importance of sustainable food systems and their knowledge levels on microbial contamination and foodborne illnesses play significantly positive roles. The likelihood of choosing microbial safety-labeled fresh produce or both microbial- and chemical safety-labeled fresh produce increased with nudging among those who have some knowledge of microbial contamination and foodborne illnesses – we found that the interaction of nudging and level of knowledge is significantly positive. Youth belonging to higher income classes do not necessarily have a higher affinity to safer fresh produce but with nudging, the higher income class youth have a higher likelihood of choosing safer fresh produce choices.Research limitations/implicationsYouth engagement and their awareness of food safety could be one of the important strategies to potentially develop them as effective promoters, adopters and educators in enhancing food safety in food systems in Nepal. Our predicted premium for food safety attributes points to the potential scope for the emerging market segment or business opportunities augmenting food safety in Nepal.Originality/valueWe examined the factors influencing the safer fresh produce choices among youth in Nepal. We tested whether awareness levels of microbial contamination and foodborne illness and information nudging affect the likelihood of safer fresh produce choice. Then we predicted the willingness to pay (premium) for safety attributes. To the best of our knowledge, none of the previous studies have examined this aspect in Nepal.

The impact of digitalization on forming modern youth political leadership

Youth political engagement is a crucial aspect of modern society. In this regard, digitalization opens huge communicative and mobilization opportunities by transforming young people’s political participation into a digital format with unpredictable consequences. The article analyzes digitalization impact as a complex multi-stage process in modern world on forming youth political leadership. The essence and stages of digitalization, the consequences of digital technologies impact on society, political processes, and youth environment have been studied. The transformational impact on socialization, communicative culture and self-consciousness of youth as a fundamental basis for forming its most active part – youth political leaders – has been revealed. The authors consider how the use of digital means of communication, social networks, and digital ecosystems contributes to the activation of youth participation in political life, accelerates the process of forming youth political leaders, providing their “promotion” in the online space and supporters mobilization. Challenges and threats of digitalization faced by youth and young political leaders have been considered. The authors concluded that digitalization at the present stage is the most important condition for attracting and forming youth political leadership, but this aspect requires further study and support at the public policy level.

Well-being approaches targeted to improve child and youth health post-COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

BackgroundOur previous work synthesized published studies on well-being interventions during COVID-19. As we move into a post-COVID-19 pandemic period there is a need to comprehensively review published strategies, approaches, and interventions to improve child and youth well-being beyond deleterious impacts experienced during COVID-19.MethodsSeven databases were searched from inception to January 2023. Studies were included if they: (1) presented original data on an approach (i.e., approach applied) or (2) provided recommendations to inform development of a future approach (i.e., approach suggested), (3) targeted to mitigate negative impacts of COVID-19 on child and youth (≤18 year) well-being, and (4) published on or after December 2019.Results39 studies (n = 4/39, 10.3% randomized controlled trials) from 2021 to 2023 were included. Twenty-two studies applied an approach (n = 22/39, 56.4%) whereas seventeen studies (n = 17/39, 43.6%) suggested an approach; youth aged 13–18 year (n = 27/39, 69.2%) were most frequently studied. Approach applied records most frequently adopted an experimental design (n = 11/22, 50.0%), whereas approach suggested records most frequently adopted a cross-sectional design (n = 13/22, 59.1%). The most frequently reported outcomes related to good health and optimum nutrition (n = 28/39, 71.8%), followed by connectedness (n = 22/39, 56.4%), learning, competence, education, skills, and employability (n = 18/39, 46.1%), and agency and resilience (n = 16/39, 41.0%).ConclusionsThe rapid onset and unpredictability of COVID-19 precluded meaningful engagement of children and youth in strategy development despite widespread recognition that early engagement can enhance usefulness and acceptability of interventions. Published or recommended strategies were most frequently targeted to improve connectedness, belonging, and socialization among children and youth.

A tribute to Dr Sulley Gariba, his impact on global youth engagement in evaluation

A tribute to Dr Sulley Gariba, his impact on global youth engagement in evaluation

Youth participation in substance use prevention: A national profile, 2011–2019

PurposePrevention efforts are critical to avoid the negative consequences of substance use in adolescents. This study aimed to examine national trends and sociodemographic differences in adolescents' participation in school-based substance use prevention (SUP) education, community-based SUP programs, as well as family conversations about substance use. MethodsPublicly available data for adolescents aged 12–17 from the annual cross-sectional surveys of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2011–2019 were analyzed. ResultsAcross the survey years, up to 74.9%, 12.2%, and 58.1% of adolescents reported having participated in school-based SUP education, community-based SUP programs, and family conversations about the danger of substance use in the past-year, respectively. From 2011 to 2019, statistically significant decreases were observed in adolescents' participation in school-based SUP education (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96, 0.98, p < 0.001) and community-based SUP programs (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, no significant changes were observed in adolescents' participation in family conversations about the dangers of substance use. Overall, lower levels of participation in school-based and community-based SUP programs were found in adolescents aged 16–17. Adolescents living in rural areas showed lower levels of participation in school-based SUP programs and family conversations about SUP. Racial/ethnic minority adolescents overall were less likely to participate in conversations with parents about SUP than Whites. ConclusionsFurther development and implementation of developmentally appropriate, gender-specific, culturally sensitive, and contextually informed SUP programs at school, community, and family levels are needed.

Identifying mechanisms of youth mental health promotion: A realist evaluation of the Agenda Gap programme

Promoting youth mental health is a critical public health priority and merits robust policy and practice responses, inclusive of youth-centred and upstream interventions that address the root factors contributing to mental health outcomes. To that end, non-familial youth-adult relationships can powerfully impact youths’ healthy development, mental health and well-being, and capacities for enacting change within home, school, and policy contexts. Agenda Gap is a youth mental health promotion programme based on this principle, in which adult facilitators support youth (aged 15–24) in co-exploring activities focused on mental health promotion and policy advocacy, while fostering supportive, trusting intergenerational relationships. This study presents a realist evaluation of Agenda Gap, drawing on realist qualitative interviews with youth participants (n = 18) and adult collaborators (n = 4). We constructed 15 initial programme theories in four theoretical areas that we subsequently explored via analysis of the realist interview data. The analysis used the middle-range theories of ‘Third Space’ and ‘Third Place’ to conceptualize and articulate how causal mechanisms were produced from the non-familial youth-adult relationships that are foundational to the programme. Results are presented across 10 context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations in three sections: (1) Agenda Gap Facilitation Activates ‘Third-Space/Third-Place’ Mechanisms; (2) Youth Enhance Personal Mental Health while also Supporting Mental Health of Friends and Family; (3) Youth Become Inspired and Informed to Act as Advocates and Policy Change Agents. Taken together, these findings provide insights into the important mechanisms of non-familial intergenerational trust building and demonstrate how a strengths-based conceptualization of youth mental health supports mental health maintenance, promotion, and advocacy for this population.

Factors Hindering Youth Participation in Agribusiness at Mbarali District in Mbeya Region

Aims: This study was set to examine factors hindering youth participation in agribusiness in Mbarali district in Mbeya region. Specifically, the study intended to determine the influence of youth perspectives towards participation in agri-business, identify socio-economic factors hindering youth participation in agri-business, and analyse the measures established to support youth participation in agri-business Methodology: The study adopted a mixed method approach involving both primary and secondary sources of data. The information was obtained through interviews, questionnaires, and documentary reviews. A sample of 384 youths aged 15-35 was adopted drawn from the total population using Krejci and Morgan table for a Finite Population. Results: Results in this study show that age, marital status, and training and development have a favourable and significant effect on youth engagement in agriculture and most of the youths perceive agriculture to be less profitable revealing that the perceptions of both male and female youths towards agricultural activity and agribusiness as a branch are still a hindrance towards youth engagement in agribusiness activities. Moreover, the youths in Mbarali district face several socio-economic hindrances in getting involved in agri-preneurship and business such as lack of adequate working capital, low knowledge in agribusiness, land access problems, restrictive bank landing conditions, subsidized Govt inputs not reaching the youth, unfavourable commodity markets and lack of youths’ platforms to channel their views. These factors have been echoed by most of the participants in this study along with some key informants who were visited to offer their insights on the subject under study. Conclusion: The youth in Africa mostly have a negative perception concerning agriculture. This influences their intention and participation in Agriculture. There is a lack of access to land; finance; technology; education and skills in agribusiness. However mixed findings on access to finance and its influence on the engagement of the youth in agriculture. More studies should look at the influence of access to finance and other resources on youth engagement in agriculture. Youth involvement in agriculture is crucial, but experts may not regard it as a serious threat to long-term agricultural practices.

Promoting Youth Participation in Sports: An Analysis of Home-School-Community Approach

Young people are the future of the country and the hope of the nation. The physical health of adolescents plays a vital role in their growth. Regular sports participation can effectively improve the physical health of teenagers, while also helping to improve mental health and promote emotional regulation, thereby helping teenagers thrive and achieve the educational purpose of all-round development. The purpose of this study is to promote youth sports participation. Based on the ecological system theory, overlapping influence domain theory, and synergy theory, three environments, namely family, school, and community, which are closely related to the healthy growth of teenagers, are selected to analyze the impact of youth sports participation. factor. By summarizing the literature and expert guidance, 11 factors were identified at three levels that affect youth sports participation: the family level includes parental cognition, parental support, and parent involvement; the school level includes leadership support, teacher ability and cognition, campus facility funds, Physical health courses, campus sports atmosphere; community level includes organizational management, sports resources, publicity and education. This study adopted a random sampling method and selected 390 students from 10,242 students in 3 middle schools in Zhanjiang City as survey subjects. The researchers collected data through questionnaires that included participants' demographic profiles, sports participation, family factors, school factors, and community factors. Data were interpreted and analyzed using frequencies, percentages, weighted averages, Likert scales, Pearson correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. Research shows that there are significant differences in youth sports participation by gender and grade. Boys' sports participation is better than that of girls. The sports participation status of junior middle school students is better than that of high school students. Among the effects of family factors on youth sports participation, "parental cognition", "parental support" and "parental participation" can all have a significant positive impact on youth sports participation. It shows that family entities can promote adolescents' sports participation behavior from three aspects: improving "parental awareness", focusing on "parental support", and focusing on "parental participation". In the impact of school factors on youth sports participation, in addition to "leadership support", the other four dimensions in the school factor scale are "teacher ability and cognition", "school facility funding", "physical education and health curriculum" and "school "Sports atmosphere" can significantly and positively affect youth sports participation, indicating that schools need to optimize hardware facilities, introduce outstanding sports talents, design sports and health courses, and create a good sports atmosphere in schools as the main ways to promote youth sports participation. Among the effects of community factors on youth sports participation, "sports resources" and "publicity and education" can both significantly and positively affect youth sports participation. However, "organizational management" cannot directly affect youth sports participation. Therefore, we can focus on absorbing and receiving more community sports resources, vigorously promoting sports-related information, creating a good sports atmosphere, and attracting more young people to participate in sports.

Participation of rural youths in dairy management practices

The present investigation on “Participation of rural youths in dairy management practices” was conducted in Chandur railway taluka of Amravati district. Taluka has been selected as it has a large number of dairy farmers.The exploratory research design was used in the present investigation. The present study was carried out in the Amravati district of the Vidarbha region to know the participation of rural youths in dairy management practices.The study revealed that the majority of respondents i.e. 40.83 percent were educated upto high school. It was observed that the majority of that maximum of 31.67 per cent of the respondents have semi-medium land holding, 63.33 per cent belonged to nuclear family, 35.00 per cent of the respondents had annual family income Rs. 100,001-150,000. The majority of respondents i.e. 45.83 per cent had high level of social participation, 50.00 per cent had medium family size. The majority i.e.71.67 per cent had medium level of sources of information and 55.00 per cent had medium herd size. In case of overall participation, majority i.e. 43.34 per cent of the respondents have high level of overall participation while 38.33 per cent have medium level of overall participation while 18.33 per cent of the respondents were having low level of overall participation.The independent variables like social participation and sources of information found a positive and significant level of probability of 0.01 per cent level with participation and another independent variables viz., education, land holding, annual family income, size of family and herd size found a positive and significant level of probability of 0.05 per cent level with participation. And the remaining variable type of family showed non-significant relationship with the participation of rural youths in dairy management practices.

Peran Generasi Muda dalam Pemilihan Kepala Desa di Desa Kaban Tengah Kecamatan STU Jehe Kabupaten Pakpak Bharat

The article is titled "The Role of Youth in the Village Head Election in Kaban Tengah Village, STU Jehe District, Pakpak Bharat Regency." This article aims to describe the role of youth in the village head election in Kaban Tengah Village, STU Jehe District, Pakpak Bharat Regency. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. Based on the research results, the author found that the youth's participation in the village head election in Kaban Tengah Village is influenced by socio-political agents, such as family, peer groups, schools, workplaces, mass media, and direct political contact. The dissemination and introduction of elections to the youth in Kaban Tengah Village are carried out by socializing the importance of elections to the youth, conducted by the KPU and the government of Pakpak Bharat Regency. Youth is very important to ensure the realization of a democratic and integrity-filled election process in Kaban Tengah Village.

Racial Discrimination and Risk for Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms Among Black Youths

Racial discrimination is a psychosocial stressor associated with youths' risk for psychiatric symptoms. Scarce data exist on the moderating role of amygdalar activation patterns among Black youths in the US. To investigate the association between racial discrimination and risk for psychopathology moderated by neuroaffective processing. This cohort study used longitudinal self-report and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from Black youth participants in the US from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Data were analyzed from January 2023 to May 2024. At time 1 of the current study (12 months after baseline), youths self-reported on their experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination and their feelings of marginalization. Amygdalar response was measured during an emotionally valenced task that included blocks of faces expressing either neutral or negative emotion. At 24 and 36 months after baseline, youths reported their internalizing (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and externalizing symptoms (aggression and rule-breaking symptoms). A total of 1596 youths were a mean (SD) age of 10.92 (0.63) years, and 803 were female (50.3%). Families in the study had a mean annual income range of $25 000 to $34 999. Two factors were derived from factor analysis: interpersonal racial discrimination and feelings of marginalization (FoM). Using structural equation modeling in a linear regression, standardized β coefficients were obtained. Neural response to faces expressing negative emotion within the right amygdala significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in internalizing symptoms (β = -0.20; 95% CI, -0.32 to -0.07; P < .001). The response to negative facial emotion within the right amygdala significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in externalizing symptoms (β = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.43; P = .02). Left amygdala response to negative emotion significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in externalizing symptoms (β = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.32 to -0.01; P = .04). In this cohort study of Black adolescents in the US, findings suggest that amygdala function in response to emotional stimuli can both protect and intensify the affective outcomes of feeling marginalized on risk for psychopathology, informing preventive interventions aimed at reducing the adverse effects of racism on internalizing and externalizing symptoms among Black youths.

Toward a resilient, resistant, and reciprocal community: Everyday youth activism of Korean American and migrant students amidst COVID-19

Situated in AsianCrit, which emphasizes centrality of racism among Asians in education as well as youth activism scholarship that denotes the engagement of youth in informal, communal, and everyday political spheres, the current qualitative study aims to center and uplift the voices of Korean American and migrant students who were enthusiastically involved in a Korean Student Organization (pseudonym) since the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, this study explores Korean American and migrant students’ motivations, perspectives, and aspirations to participate in the organization at a predominantly white university in the Midwest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. By highlighting how Korean American and migrant students foregrounded their experiences of racism and marginalization at a predominately white university during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a variety of collective activities, events, and opportunities within and across the campus to survive, resist, and flourish amidst of heightened racist climates, this study will provide several implications for AsianCrit and youth activism scholarship. Together, the goal of this study is to bring attention to everyday youth activism and agency among Asian and Asian American students regarding racial justice and complicate and challenge the hegemonic representations of Asian and Asian Americans as model minorities, forever foreigners, or victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in contemporary U.S. society.

Examining the cost-effectiveness of fire service prevention and youth engagement activities

Many fire services have expanded their fire prevention focus to include other community-based risks, such as water safety, road safety, and youth engagement. However, to date, little research focus has been directed to examining the economic and social value of these wider prevention activities and whether they represent a wise resource investment. Further work is also needed to establish the reliability of existing fire prevention economic models. The following study adopts a cost-benefit analysis approach to economically evaluate the range of prevention activities delivered by one fire service in England (Merseyside), which focus on accidental dwelling fires, road, water, and arson-related incidents, and promoting youth engagement. Data was accessed from open sources and a systematic search of existing economic models and fire service records. Cost-benefit ratios demonstrated that the economic value provided by prevention investment was five and 21 times the investment for accidental and deliberate fires. Social value provided by youth engagement activities ranged from two to 13 times the investment for the Beacon Project and Fire Cadets. Findings pose important implications for informing fire sector discussions regarding the resourcing of prevention to address community risks, and for improving data collection to robustly model the economic and social value of activities.

Improving Green Literacy and Environmental Culture Associated with Youth Participation in the Circular Economy: A Case Study of Vietnam

The circular economy (CE), a sustainability concept that promotes resource efficiency and waste reduction, has garnered significant popularity in recent years due to its potential to address pressing environmental and economic challenges. This study applies the Bayesian Mindsponge Mindspongeconomics (BMM) framework/analytic method, based on the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), to the factors influencing young adults’ pro-environmental behavior and their purchases of green products at different price levels. The findings indicate that young adults who are knowledgeable about the CE and who value environmental protection and energy conservation are more likely to engage in waste sorting, while the factors that affect their willingness to pay (WTP) more for green and energy-saving products vary at different price tiers. This study demonstrates that knowledge of the CE, daily waste sorting habits, and environmental concern positively impact young adults’ WTP for products that are priced 5%, 10%, and 15% higher, respectively. Furthermore, this study also highlights the potential of educational programs and cultural influences in nurturing a generation that prioritizes environmental value. This research integrates multidisciplinary perspectives and offers practical implications for policymakers, educators, and businesses seeking to promote green literacy and foster an environmental culture among the youth, contributing to the broader goals of green transformation and sustainable development associated with the CE and the green economy, especially in the urban areas of emerging countries and beyond.

Cultivating spatial citizenship through collaborative mapping: an empirical study on youth engagement in peripheral urban Ecuador

Cultivating spatial citizenship through collaborative mapping: an empirical study on youth engagement in peripheral urban Ecuador

Peacebuilding Inc.: neoliberal influences on Rwanda’s vulnerable youth

ABSTRACT Despite the notion that lasting peace is dependent upon youth participation, their contributions to peacebuilding are often overlooked by policymakers and scholars. Drawing on the case of Rwandan vulnerable youth, this article discusses how youth frame and describe their role in the national neoliberal peace agenda. This study draws from a mixed-method study with a survey and focus groups based at a Rwandan non-governmental organisation secondary boarding school. Findings suggest that a neoliberal national narrative plays an important role in youth prioritising economic participation and engaging in entrepreneurship as primary paths towards peacebuilding.

A Case Study of the Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction of Children and Youth Participation in a Physical Activity Program for the Height Increase

A Case Study of the Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction of Children and Youth Participation in a Physical Activity Program for the Height Increase

Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS): A team science effort to predict societal trajectories in adolescence and young adulthood

Our society faces a great diversity of opportunities for youth. The 10-year Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) program has the long-term goal to understand which combination of measures best predict societal trajectories, such as school success, mental health, well-being, and developing a sense of belonging in society. Our leading hypothesis is that self-regulation is key to how adolescents successfully navigate the demands of contemporary society. We aim to test these questions using socio-economic, questionnaire (including experience sampling methods), behavioral, brain (fMRI, sMRI, EEG), hormonal, and genetic measures in four large cohorts including adolescents and young adults. Two cohorts are designed as test and replication cohorts to test the developmental trajectory of self-regulation, including adolescents of different socioeconomic status thereby bridging individual, family, and societal perspectives. The third cohort consists of an entire social network to examine how neural and self-regulatory development influences and is influenced by whom adolescents and young adults choose to interact with. The fourth cohort includes youth with early signs of antisocial and delinquent behavior to understand patterns of societal development in individuals at the extreme ends of self-regulation and societal participation, and examines pathways into and out of delinquency. We will complement the newly collected cohorts with data from existing large-scale population-based and case-control cohorts. The study is embedded in a transdisciplinary approach that engages stakeholders throughout the design stage, with a strong focus on citizen science and youth participation in study design, data collection, and interpretation of results, to ensure optimal translation to youth in society.

Participation of rural youth in volunteer work at Aja Center, Dakahlia Governorate

Participation of rural youth in volunteer work at Aja Center, Dakahlia Governorate

Exploring Political Participation of First-Time Malay Voters in Tik Tok

The emergence of Internet has permeated in almost every part of our lives, and the younger generations especially are the one been permeated at most. Especially in political aspect, the emergence of social media has brought the opportunity to change the way of people to experience the politics, information seeking and involved in some political activities. Furthermore, previous studies also found out the positive relationship between social media and political participation of the youth in Malaysia. However, previous studies only focus on the social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. The new and rapidly grow social media – TikTok have not been studied before in Malaysia regarding the political participation of youth in Malaysia. Moreover, previous GE15 has been reported that TikTok is the effective and efficient tool to reach the young voters, especially the first-time Malay voters that utilized by PN and PAS. This study is aimed to investigate about the role of TikTok on the political participation of the first-time Malay voters. Survey results indicates that three independent variables – TikTok Usage, Political Interest and Political Knowledge have positive significant relationship with the dependent variable – Political Participations. The analysis shown political interest is the core motivation driven the Malay voters for political participation during GE15. TikTok played a significant role in here, because most of the respondents agreed that they rely on TikTok for political information consumption during GE15, and the younger first-time voters will use TikTok more frequent than the other age categories.